a/æ/
Nasalized-ngBefore NG, the vowel changes to sound more like the AY (/eɪ/) diphthong. The middle part of the tongue lifts toward the roof of the mouth, then the front part arches up.
How to pronounce angry in American English
ANG·gree
Start here
Americans pronounce angry as ANG-gree (/ˈæŋgri/). 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. This is called the Cat-Vowel Before NG, and it's why Americans sound more relaxed than the textbook. It comes out as ANG·gree. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Ignore the angry ghost in the grey garage".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "angry".
2 syllables, 5 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ng/ŋ/
Lift the back of your tongue to the soft palate. Lower your soft palate to let air flow through your nose.
g/g/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate. Add vocal cord vibration, then release.
r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
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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-gree→ANG·gree
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch ANG — keep everything else short and quick.
ang·GREE→ANG·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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