k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce character in American English
KEH·ruhk·ter
Start here
Americans pronounce character as KEH-ruhk-ter (/ˈkɛrəktər/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The chaotic character caused a crack in the case" or "The character development in this series is outstanding" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "character".
3 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
eh/ɛ/
Drop your jaw moderately. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and lift the mid-front part slightly toward the roof.
r/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.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
t/t/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Keep your jaw relaxed. Stop the air, then release with a puff.
er/ər/
Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.
In real conversation
Hear "character" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"He criticized the film for its slow pacing and lack of character development."
hee KRIH·duh·sahyzd dhuh FIHLM fer ihts SLOH PAY·suhng and LAK uhv KEH·ruhk·ter duh·VEH·luhp·muhnt
"He sued for defamation of character after the false report."
hee SOOD fer deh·fuh·MAY·shuhn uhv KEH·ruhk·ter AF·ter dhuh FAHLS ruh·PORT
"The chaotic character caused a crack in the case."
dhuh kay·AH·duhk KEH·ruhk·ter KAHZD uh KRAK ihn dhuh KAYS
"The character development in this series is outstanding."
dhuh KEH·ruhk·ter duh·VEH·luhp·muhnt ihn dhihs SEER·eez uhz owt·STAN·duhng
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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
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "character", the "t" 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.
character→KEH·ruhk·ter
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KEH — keep everything else short and quick.
keh·RUHK·TER→KEH·ruhk·ter
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.
KEH·RUHK·ter→KEH·ruhk·ter
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 "character" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "KEH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "KEH-ruhk-ter" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the second syllable in "character" 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 "KEH-ruhk-ter" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "character"?
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 "character" 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 "KEH-ruhk-ter" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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