How to pronounce "a number of things" in English — Connected Speech Guide (IPA /əˈnʌmbɝəˈθɪŋz/)

How native English speakers pronounce "a number of things" (IPA /əˈnʌmbɝəˈθɪŋz/) — connected speech rule, example sentences, and audio for GA and RP. Free. of→/ə/; RP linking r

a number of things pronunciation (IPA /əˈnʌmbɝəˈθɪŋz/) — Elision

What happens in this phrase

of→/ə/; RP linking r

Example sentences

There are a number of things.
I have a number of things to do.
We discussed a number of things.
a number of things went wrong.

Common mistakes by native language

Japanese speakers

Mistake: Pronouncing "of" with a full vowel and clear v, like "obu", and giving it separate stress equal to "number" and "things".

Why: Katakana loanword pronunciation attaches a full syllable to "of", but in fluent English this function word almost always reduces to a bare schwa when it appears unstressed between two content words.

Fix: Reduce "of" to just a light schwa [ə], barely audible between "number" and "things": [əˈnʌmbɝəˈθɪŋz]. Stress should fall clearly on "NUM-" and "THINGS".

Korean speakers

Mistake: Substituting a th sound closer to [s] or [d] in "things", producing "sings" or "dings" instead of the correct interdental fricative.

Why: Korean has no equivalent to the English voiceless th [θ], so learners often substitute the closest available sound in their native inventory, which changes the word's meaning entirely.

Fix: Practice placing the tongue tip lightly between the teeth and pushing air through for [θ]: [θɪŋz]. Contrast "things" with "sings" to hear and feel the difference between the two sounds.

Spanish speakers

Mistake: Pronouncing the ng in "things" as a full [n] followed by a separate [g], like "thin-gz", instead of the single nasal sound [ŋ].

Why: Spanish doesn't use the velar nasal [ŋ] as a distinct phoneme in the same way, so learners often break it into its component letters n and g, adding an extra syllable-like sound.

Fix: Practice the single nasal consonant [ŋ] with the back of the tongue against the soft palate, with no separate g sound afterward: [θɪŋz], one smooth ending, not two consonants.

Similar phrase patterns

a lot of people — of reduces to a light schwa between two content words: Same reduction pattern of "of" collapsing to a bare schwa, though this phrase quantifies people rather than abstract things.
plenty of room — of reduces heavily inside a quantity expression: Shares the same quantifier-plus-of structure and reduction behavior, useful for practicing the pattern with a different noun category.
most of them — of reduces to /ə/ inside a quantity phrase: Closely related quantity expression with the same heavy "of" reduction, differing mainly in using a pronoun rather than a plural noun.

Practice sentences

There are a number of things we still need to discuss. (introducing multiple unresolved topics in a meeting)
I have a number of things to do before we leave. (describing a to-do list before travel)
A number of things went wrong during the launch. (explaining multiple problems that occurred)
We considered a number of things before making our decision. (describing a thoughtful decision-making process)
There are a number of things I love about this city. (expressing appreciation for multiple aspects of a place)

Notes

"A number of things" is a common quantifying phrase meaning "several things" or "multiple things", frequently used in both spoken and written English to introduce a list or general reference to multiple unspecified items. The connecting "of" between "number" and "things" follows the standard English pattern of collapsing to a nearly silent schwa [ə] when unstressed, since it carries no independent meaning here beyond linking the quantifier to its noun. The final word "things" also presents two challenging sounds for many learners in sequence: the voiceless interdental fricative [θ] at the start, and the velar nasal [ŋ] followed by a voiced [z] at the end, giving [θɪŋz]. Because both of these sounds are relatively rare across the world's languages, they are frequent sources of substitution errors, and getting them right significantly improves overall intelligibility. In RP, the linking r that would normally follow "number" before a vowel becomes audible here since "of" begins with a vowel, producing [ˈnʌmbərəv], a feature GA speakers replace with their rhotic r-colored vowel instead.