How to pronounce angry in American English

IPA /ˈæŋgri/ Syllables 2 · ang·gree Stress 1st syllable
ANG·gree
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Americans pronounce angry as ANG-gree (/ˈæŋgri/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds
75%
Clarity
68%
Stress
78%
Intonation
65%
Fluency
62%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the vowel before NG too pure.

In "angry", the "a" vowel before NG shifts toward "ay" — sounding like "ay" as in "say", a distinctly American pattern — most prominent in Midwestern American English; other GenAm speakers may use a less raised vowel. Vowel changes to sound like /eɪ/ ("ay" as in "say").

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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In real conversation

Hear "angry" in the wild.

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

"Ignore the angry ghost in the grey garage."
uhg·NOR dhee ANG·gree GOHST ihn dhuh GRAY guh·RAHZH
Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

01

Pronouncing the vowel before NG too pure.

In "angry", the "a" vowel before NG shifts toward "ay" — sounding like "ay" as in "say", a distinctly American pattern — most prominent in Midwestern American English; other GenAm speakers may use a less raised vowel. Vowel changes to sound like /eɪ/ ("ay" as in "say").

ANG-greeANG·gree
02

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

ang·GREEANG·gree
Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "angry" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "ANG" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ANG-gree" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "angry" 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 "ANG-gree" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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