At least in my dialect (US northeast) clothes and close don’t quite share a pronunciation. They’re similar enough that you could probably fully elide the th sound, and I’m not sure anyone would notice.
When I pronounce clothes I can still feel my tongue move into the th position, and hear a small difference.
At least in my dialect (US northeast) clothes and close don’t quite share a pronunciation. They’re similar enough that you could probably fully elide the th sound, and I’m not sure anyone would notice.
When I pronounce clothes I can still feel my tongue move into the th position, and hear a small difference.