How to pronounce chef in American English

IPA /ʃɛf/ Syllables 1 · shehf Stress 1st syllable

SHEHF

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Americans pronounce chef as SHEHF (/ʃɛf/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

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Stress

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Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

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"The chef made a special fresh mushroom dish."

dhuh SHEHF MAYD uh SPEH·shuhl FREHSH MUHSH·room DIHSH

"The chef used his muscle to crack the large mussel."

dhuh SHEHF YOOZD hihz MUH·suhl tuh KRAK dhuh LARJ MUH·suhl

Questions

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

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