How to pronounce buy in American English

IPA /baɪ/ Syllables 1 · bahy Stress 1st syllable

BAHY

Start here

Americans pronounce buy as BAHY (/baɪ/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Buy some bread" or "I need to buy a new toothbrush" — more examples below.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "buy" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

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

Unlock the full report in the app

Sound by sound

Every sound in "buy".

1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

b/b/

Press your lips together, add vocal cord vibration, then release.

ahy/aɪ/

Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.

In real conversation

Hear "buy" in the wild.

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

"Buy some bread."

BAHY suhm BREHD

"He needs to buy a new pair of cleats for soccer."

hee NEEDZ tuh BAHY uh noo PAIR uhv KLEETS fer SAH·ker

"I asked you to buy the blue one."

ahy ASKT yoo tuh BAHY dhuh BLOO wuhn

"I forgot my reusable bags, so I had to buy plastic ones."

ahy fer·GAHT mahy ree·YOO·zuh·buhl BAGZ SOH ahy had tuh BAHY PLA·stuhk WUHNZ

"I need to buy a new pair of running shoes."

ahy NEED tuh BAHY uh noo PAIR uhv RUH·nuhng SHOOZ

"I need to buy a new toothbrush."

ahy NEED tuh BAHY uh noo TOOTH·bruhsh

Find another

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Search the entire library

Press / anywhere to focus the search box.

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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