How to pronounce cite in American English
SAHYT
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Americans pronounce cite as SAHYT (/saɪt/).
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Why it sounds different
Why "cite" sounds like SAHYT.
The "t" at the end of "" links to the vowel starting "" — it flaps to sound like a quick "d", with the tongue briefly tapping the ridge behind the upper teeth. This is called the Flap T Across Words, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as SAHYT.
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Questions
Questions people ask about this.
Is the American pronunciation of "cite" 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 "SAHYT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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