How to pronounce agreement in American English

IPA /əˈgrimənt/ Syllables 3 · uh·gree·muhnt Stress 2nd syllable

uh·GREE·muhnt

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Americans pronounce agreement as uh-GREE-muhnt (/əˈgrimənt/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "agreement", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

In "agreement", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. Schwa is absorbed — consonant becomes the syllable nucleus.

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Why it sounds different

Why "agreement" sounds like uh·GREE·muhnt.

In "agreement", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. This is called the Silent Schwa Before L/M/N/R, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as uh·GREE·muhnt.

In real conversation

Hear "agreement" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"He signed a non-disclosure agreement before joining the company."

hee SAHYND uh NAHN duh·SKLOH·zher uh·GREE·muhnt buh·FOR JOY·nuhng dhuh KUHM·puh·nee

"International observers monitored the ceasefire agreement closely."

ihn·ter·NA·shuh·nuhl uhb·ZUR·verz MAH·nuh·terd dhuh SEES·fahy·er uh·GREE·muhnt KLOH·slee

"Let's discuss the terms and conditions of the proposed agreement."

LEHTS duh·SKUHS dhuh TURMZ and kuhn·DIH·shuhnz uhv dhuh pruh·POHZD uh·GREE·muhnt

"The agreement aims to reduce carbon emissions by fifty percent."

dhee uh·GREE·muhnt AYMZ tuh ruh·DOOS KAR·buhn uh·MIH·shuhnz bahy FIHF·tee per·SEHNT

"The bipartisan committee reached an agreement on immigration reform."

dhuh bahy·PAR·tuh·zuhn kuh·MIH·dee REECHT uhn uh·GREE·muhnt ahn ih·muh·GRAY·shuhn ruh·FORM

"The discussion became quite heated, but we eventually reached an agreement."

dhuh duh·SKUH·shuhn buh·KAYM KWAHYT HEE·duhd buht wee uh·VEHN·chuh·lee REECHT uhn uh·GREE·muhnt

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "agreement", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

agreement→uh·GREE·muhnt

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

agreement→uh·GREE·muhnt

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch GREE — keep everything else short and quick.

UH·gree·MUHNT→uh·GREE·muhnt

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

UH·GREE·muhnt→uh·GREE·muhnt

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "agreement" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "GREE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "uh-GREE-muhnt" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the first syllable in "agreement" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "uh-GREE-muhnt" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "agreement" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "uh-GREE-muhnt" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

Why "agreement" sounds like uh·GREE·muhnt.

Hear "agreement" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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