How to pronounce colleagues in American English

IPA /ˈkɑligz/ Syllables 2 · kah·leegz Stress 1st syllable

KAH·leegz

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Americans pronounce colleagues as KAH-leegz (/ˈkɑligz/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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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

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KAH — keep everything else short and quick.

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Why it sounds different

Why "colleagues" sounds like KAH·leegz.

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, a tiny act of laziness that makes the rhythm feel right. It comes out as KAH·leegz.

In real conversation

Hear "colleagues" in the wild.

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

"She was touched by the thoughtful gesture from her colleagues."

shee wuhz TUHCHT bahy dhuh THAHT·fuhl JEHS·cher fruhm her KAH·leegz

"The feedback from your colleagues has been consistently positive."

dhuh FEED·bak fruhm yor KAH·leegz huhz bihn kuhn·SIH·stuhnt·lee PAH·zuh·tuhv

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KAH — keep everything else short and quick.

kah·LEEGZ→KAH·leegz

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "colleagues" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "KAH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "KAH-leegz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

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

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "colleagues" sounds like KAH·leegz.

Hear "colleagues" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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