How to pronounce block in American English

IPA /blɑk/ Syllables 1 · blahk Stress 1st syllable

BLAHK

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Americans pronounce block as BLAHK (/blɑk/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "block", 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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "block" sounds like BLAHK.

In "block", 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 BLAHK.

In real conversation

Hear "block" in the wild.

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

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

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

"He carved a beautiful statue out of a single block of marble."

hee KARVD uh BYOO·tuh·fuhl STA·choo OWT uhv uh SIHNG·guhl BLAHK uhv MAR·buhl

"She wears a visor to block the sun while playing tennis."

shee WAIRZ uh VAHY·zer tuh BLAHK dhuh SUHN WAHYL PLAY·uhng TEH·nuhs

"The coffee shop is on the next block."

dhuh KAH·fee SHAHP ihz ahn dhuh NEHKST BLAHK

"The curtains in the bedroom are too thin to block the sunlight."

dhuh KUR·tuhnz ihn dhuh BEH·droom er TOO THIHN tuh BLAHK dhuh SUHN·lahyt

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 "block", 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.

block→BLAHK

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "block" sounds like BLAHK.

Hear "block" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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