How to pronounce at in American English

IPA /ət/ Syllables 1 · uht

uht

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Americans pronounce at as uht (/ət/).

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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 "at", 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.

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "at" sounds like uht.

In "at", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's why Americans sound more relaxed than the textbook. It comes out as uht.

In real conversation

Hear "at" in the wild.

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

"Are we still meeting at seven o'clock?"

ar wee STIHL MEE·duhng uht SEH·vuhn uh·KLAHK

"Aren't you supposed to be at the meeting?"

ARNT yoo suh·POHZD tuh bee uht dhuh MEE·duhng

"Arthur charged the smart card at the market."

AR·ther CHARJD dhuh SMART KARD uht dhuh MAR·kuht

"Can you stop at the coffee shop on the block?"

kuhn yoo STAHP uht dhuh KAH·fee SHAHP ahn dhuh BLAHK

"Did you feel lonely at the event?"

dihd yuh FEEL LOHN·lee uht dhee uh·VEHNT

"He discovers new authors by looking at best-seller lists."

hee duh·SKUH·verz noo AH·therz bahy LUU·kuhng uht BEHST SEH·ler LIHSTS

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 "at", 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.

at→uht

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.

UHT→uht

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "at" 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 "uht" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "at" sounds like uht.

Hear "at" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "at". Start saying it.