k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce counteroffer in American English
KOWN·ter·ah·fer
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Americans pronounce counteroffer as KOWN-ter-ah-fer (/ˈkaʊntərˌɑfər/). In "counteroffer", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. This is called the Silent T after N, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as KOWN·ter·AH·fer. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "I would like to propose a counteroffer for your consideration".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "counteroffer".
4 syllables, 8 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ow/aʊ/
Start with a dropped jaw and flat tongue. Glide into a relaxed, slightly rounded lip position as the back of the tongue stretches up.
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.
t/t/
DroppedThe T is skipped entirely. Your tongue doesn't make contact at the T position.
er/ər/
Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.
ah/ɑ/
Relax your lips and drop your jaw significantly. The tongue tip lightly touches behind the bottom front teeth and the back part of the tongue presses down a little to create more dark space in the back of the mouth.
f/f/
Lift your bottom lip to touch the very bottom of your top front teeth. Blow air through this contact point without voicing.
er/ər/
Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.
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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
Pronouncing the silent T after N.
In "counteroffer", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. /t/ is completely silent — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound.
counteroffer→KOWN·ter·AH·fer
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KOWN — keep everything else short and quick.
kown·TER·AH·FER→KOWN·ter·AH·fer
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 "counteroffer" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "KOWN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "KOWN-ter-ah-fer" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "counteroffer"?
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 "counteroffer" 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 "KOWN-ter-ah-fer" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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