How to pronounce conduct in American English

IPA /ˈkɑndʌkt/ Syllables 2 · kahn·duhkt Stress 1st syllable

KAHN·duhkt

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Americans pronounce conduct as KAHN-duhkt (/ˈkɑndʌkt/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. 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

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "conduct", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "conduct" sounds like KAHN·duhkt.

In "conduct", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, a hallmark of natural-sounding American speech. It comes out as KAHN·duhkt.

In real conversation

Hear "conduct" in the wild.

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

"He was benched for unsportsmanlike conduct during the match."

hee wuhz BEHNCHT fer uhn·SPORTS·muhn·lahyk KAHN·duhkt DUUR·uhng dhuh MACH

"He will conduct an experiment in the lab."

hee wihl kuhn·DUHKT uhn ihk·SPEH·ruh·muhnt ihn dhuh LAB

"She received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct."

shee ruh·SEEVD uh PEH·nuhl·tee fer uhn·SPORTS·muhn·lahyk KAHN·duhkt

"She was charged with theft and disorderly conduct."

shee wuhz CHARJD wihth THEHFT and duh·SOR·der·lee KAHN·duhkt

"We conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance with safety regulations."

wee kuhn·DUHKT REH·gyuh·ler ihn·SPEHK·shuhnz tuh uhn·SHUUR kuhm·PLAHY·uhns wihth SAYF·tee rehg·yuh·LAY·shuhnz

"The orchestra's conduct was exceptional."

dhee OR·kuh·struhz KAHN·duhkt wuhz uhk·SEHP·shuh·nuhl

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "conduct", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

conduct→KAHN·duhkt

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

kahn·DUHKT→KAHN·duhkt

Pronouncing the unstressed 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.

KAHN·DUHKT→KAHN·duhkt

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "conduct" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the second syllable in "conduct" 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 "KAHN-duhkt" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "conduct" 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 "KAHN-duhkt" 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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Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "conduct" sounds like KAHN·duhkt.

Hear "conduct" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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