a/æ/
Drop the jaw noticeably. Keep the body of the tongue low and forward, and don't let the back of the tongue raise toward the soft palate. Pull the lip corners back slightly, almost a starting smile.
How to pronounce anniversary in American English
a·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
Start here
Americans pronounce anniversary as a-nuh-VUR-ser-ee (/ˌænəˈvɝsɚi/). In "anniversary", the "a" vowel before M or N raises and fronts toward [eə] — the tongue pulls up and forward, breaking the vowel into a tense glide as it anticipates the nasal. This is called the Cat-Vowel Before M/N, a small move that separates 'classroom' from 'native'. It comes out as A·nuh·VUR·ser·ee. Stress falls on the third syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "We are planning a big celebration for their golden anniversary" or "We would like to congratulate them on their wedding anniversary" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "anniversary".
5 syllables, 9 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
n/n/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
v/v/
Lift your bottom lip so its inner edge (where the wet part meets the dry part) touches the very bottom of your top front teeth. Add vocal cord vibration as you blow air through.
ur/ɜr/
Flare your lips and push them away from the face. Lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.
s/s/
Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.
er/ɜr/
Flare your lips and push them away from the face. Lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.
e/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.
e/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
In real conversation
Hear "anniversary" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"The world leaders gathered to commemorate the historic anniversary."
dhuh WURLD LEE·derz GA·dherd tuh kuh·MEH·muh·rayt dhuh huh·STOR·uhk a·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
"We are planning a big celebration for their golden anniversary."
wee ar PLA·nuhng uh BIHG seh·luh·BRAY·shuhn fer dhair GOHL·duhn a·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
"We would like to congratulate them on their wedding anniversary."
wee wuud LAHYK tuh kuhn·GRA·chuh·layt dhuhm ahn dhair WEH·duhng a·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
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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 M/N too pure.
In "anniversary", the "a" vowel before M or N raises and fronts toward [eə] — the tongue pulls up and forward, breaking the vowel into a tense glide as it anticipates the nasal. The "/æ/" vowel raises and fronts before M or N — tongue pulls up and forward, producing a tense [eə] glide (between /e/ and /ə/). Not a pure /æ/.
a-nuh-VUR-ser-ee→A·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the third syllable, not the others. Stretch VUR — keep everything else short and quick.
A·NUH·vur·SER·EE→A·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
03
Pronouncing the unstressed 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.
a·NUH·VUR·ser·ee→A·nuh·VUR·ser·ee
04
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "anniversary" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the third syllable — say "VUR" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "a-nuh-VUR-ser-ee" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the second syllable in "anniversary" 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 "a-nuh-VUR-ser-ee" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "anniversary"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
Is the American pronunciation of "anniversary" 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 "a-nuh-VUR-ser-ee" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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