How to pronounce cost in American English

IPA /kɔst/ Syllables 1 · kahst

kahst

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Americans pronounce cost as kahst (/kɔst/).

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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 "cost", 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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "cost" sounds like kahst.

In "cost", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as kahst.

In real conversation

Hear "cost" in the wild.

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

"How much does this cost?"

HOW muhch duhz dhihs kahst

"Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly cost competitive."

ruh·NOO·uh·buhl EH·ner·jee SOR·suhz er buh·KUH·muhng uhn·KREE·suhng·lee kahst kuhm·PEH·tuh·tihv

"The boss lost the cost of the lost cloth."

dhuh BAHS LAHST dhuh kahst uhv dhuh LAHST KLAHTH

"The cost of living increase affected how much I could save monthly."

dhuh kahst uhv LIH·vuhng IHN·krees uh·FEHK·tuhd HOW muhch ahy kuud SAYV MUHNTH·lee

"The cost savings alone justify the initial investment required."

dhuh kahst SAY·vuhngz uh·LOHN JUH·stuh·fahy dhee ih·NIH·shuhl ihn·VEHST·muhnt ruh·KWAHY·erd

"The trip will cost around seventy dollars."

dhuh TRIHP wihl kahst uh·ROWND SEH·vuhn·tee DAH·lerz

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 "cost", 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.

cost→kahst

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "cost" sounds like kahst.

Hear "cost" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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