How to pronounce cooked in American English

IPA /kʊkt/ Syllables 1 · kuukt Stress 1st syllable

KUUKT

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Americans pronounce cooked as KUUKT (/kʊkt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "The pasta should be cooked al dente, which means slightly firm" or "He cooked the pan with butter and herbs to make a delicious sauce" — more examples below.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

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Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "cooked", the "t" 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.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "cooked".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

uu/ʊ/

Bring the corners of your lips in slightly so they push forward, but keep them relaxed. Lift the back of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

t/t/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Keep your jaw relaxed. Stop the air, then release with a puff.

In real conversation

Hear "cooked" in the wild.

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"He cooked the pan with butter and herbs to make a delicious sauce."

hee KUUKT dhuh PAN wihth BUH·ter uhnd URBZ tuh MAYK uh duh·LIH·shuhs SAHS

"The pasta should be cooked al dente, which means slightly firm."

dhuh PAH·stuh shuud bee KUUKT ahl DEHN·tay wihch meenz SLAHYT·lee FURM

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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.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "cooked", the "t" 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.

cooked→KUUKT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "cooked".

Hear "cooked" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "cooked". Start saying it.