k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce composes in American English
kuhm·POH·zuhz
Start here
Americans pronounce composes as kuhm-POH-zuhz (/kəmˈpoʊzəz/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "He writes his own lyrics and composes the melody on his guitar".
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Record yourself saying "composes" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.
Sound by sound
Every sound in "composes".
3 syllables, 8 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
m/m/
Press your lips together. Air flows through your nose. Vocal cords vibrate.
p/p/
Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.
oh/oʊ/
Start with your mouth slightly open, then close your jaw slightly as your lips round. Shift your tongue back slightly, then stretch the back up.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
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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
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch POH — keep everything else short and quick.
KUHM·poh·ZUHZ→kuhm·POH·zuhz
02
Pronouncing the first 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.
KUHM·POH·zuhz→kuhm·POH·zuhz
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "composes" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "POH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "kuhm-POH-zuhz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the first syllable in "composes" 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 "kuhm-POH-zuhz" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
Is the American pronunciation of "composes" 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 "kuhm-POH-zuhz" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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