k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce countries in American English
KUHN·treez
Start here
Americans pronounce countries as KUHN-treez (/ˈkʌntriz/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The movie was filmed on location in several different countries" or "Youth unemployment is a significant challenge facing many countries" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "countries".
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.
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.
r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
In real conversation
Hear "countries" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"The movie was filmed on location in several different countries."
dhuh MOO·vee wuhz FIHLMD ahn loh·KAY·shuhn ihn SEHV·ruhl DIH·fruhnt KUHN·treez
"Trade relations between the two countries have improved significantly."
TRAYD ruh·LAY·shuhnz buh·TWEEN dhuh TOO KUHN·treez huhv uhm·PROOVD suhg·NIH·fuh·kuhnt·lee
"Youth unemployment is a significant challenge facing many countries."
YOOTH uhn·uhm·PLOY·muhnt ihz uh suhg·NIH·fuh·kuhnt CHA·luhnj FAY·suhng MEH·nee KUHN·treez
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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 first syllable, not the others. Stretch KUHN — keep everything else short and quick.
kuhn·TREEZ→KUHN·treez
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "countries" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "KUHN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "KUHN-treez" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "countries" 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-treez" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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