How to pronounce class in American English

IPA /klæs/ Syllables 1 · klas Stress 1st syllable

KLAS

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Americans pronounce class as KLAS (/klæs/).

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Why it sounds different

Why "class" sounds like KLAS.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as KLAS.

In real conversation

Hear "class" in the wild.

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

"He analyzed the symbolism in the text for his literature class."

hee A·nuh·lahyzd dhuh SIHM·buh·lih·zuhm ihn dhuh TEHKST fer hihz LIH·duh·ruh·chur KLAS

"He explained the phases of the moon to the class."

hee uhk·SPLAYND dhuh FAY·zuhz uhv dhuh MOON tuh dhuh KLAS

"He was nervous about the oral examination for his language class."

hee wuhz NUR·vuhs uh·BOWT dhee OR·uhl ihg·za·muh·NAY·shuhn fer hihz LANG·gwuhj KLAS

"His brother is in the same class as me."

hihz BRUH·dher ihz ihn dhuh SAYM KLAS uhz mee

"I had to drop a class because my schedule was too overwhelming."

ahy had tuh DRAHP uh KLAS buh·KUHZ mahy SKEH·juhl wuhz TOO oh·ver·WEHL·muhng

"I have to study for my math class."

ahy hav tuh STUH·dee fer mahy MATH KLAS

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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