ar/ɑr/
Open wide for the 'ah' vowel. Lift the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
How to pronounce argue in American English
AR·gyoo
Start here
Americans pronounce argue as AR-gyoo (/ˈɑrgju/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "I would argue that the benefits outweigh the potential risks".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "argue".
2 syllables, 3 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
g/g/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate. Add vocal cord vibration, then release.
yoo/ju/
Start with the tongue mid-front raised high, almost touching the roof of the mouth (but not touching). Glide into a tight lip circle as the tongue back lifts.
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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
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch AR — keep everything else short and quick.
ar·GYOO→AR·gyoo
02
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 "argue" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "AR" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "AR-gyoo" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "argue"?
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 "argue" 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 "AR-gyoo" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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