k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce concerns in American English
kuhn·SURNZ
Start here
Americans pronounce concerns as kuhn-SURNZ (/kənˈsɜrnz/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "She expressed her concerns eloquently and persuasively" or "Civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the new law" — more examples below.
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Record yourself saying "concerns" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.
Sound by sound
Every sound in "concerns".
2 syllables, 7 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.
n/n/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.
s/s/
Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.
ur/ɜr/
Flare your lips and push them away from the face. Lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.
n/n/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
In real conversation
Hear "concerns" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Allow me to demonstrate how this solution addresses your concerns."
uh·LOW mee tuh DEH·muhn·strayt HOW dhihs suh·LOO·shuhn uh·DREH·suhz yer kuhn·SURNZ
"Civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the new law."
SIH·vuhl LIH·ber·teez GROOPS huhv RAYZD kuhn·SURNZ uh·BOWT dhuh noo LAH
"Data privacy concerns have led to stricter regulations globally."
DAY·duh PRAHY·vuh·see kuhn·SURNZ hav LEHD tuh STRIHK·ter rehg·yuh·LAY·shuhnz GLOH·buh·lee
"She expressed her concerns eloquently and persuasively."
shee uhk·SPREHST her kuhn·SURNZ EH·luh·kwuhnt·lee and per·SWAY·suhv·lee
"The proposal addresses most of our concerns regarding pricing."
dhuh pruh·POH·zuhl uh·DREH·suhz MOHST uhv owr kuhn·SURNZ ruh·GAR·duhng PRAHY·suhng
"We need to address some concerns regarding your attendance record."
wee NEED tuh uh·DREHS suhm kuhn·SURNZ ruh·GAR·duhng yer uh·TEHN·duhns REH·kerd
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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 SURNZ — keep everything else short and quick.
KUHN·surnz→kuhn·SURNZ
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.
KUHN·SURNZ→kuhn·SURNZ
03
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "concerns" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "SURNZ" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "kuhn-SURNZ" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the first syllable in "concerns" 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 "kuhn-SURNZ" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "concerns"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
Is the American pronunciation of "concerns" 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 "kuhn-SURNZ" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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