k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce course in American English
KORS
Start here
Americans pronounce course as KORS (/kɔrs/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Focus on the basics of the science course" or "I'm sure the first part of the course is harder" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "course".
1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
or/ɔr/
Start with the 'aw' jaw drop and rounded lips. Pull the tongue back and up while keeping the lips rounded for the R.
s/s/
Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.
In real conversation
Hear "course" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Focus on the basics of the science course."
FOH·kuhs ahn dhuh BAY·suhks uhv dhuh SAHY·uhns KORS
"From my perspective, this seems like the best course of action."
fruhm mahy per·SPEHK·tuhv dhihs SEEMZ LAHYK dhuh behst KORS uhv A·shuhn
"He completed the certification course for handling hazardous materials safely."
hee kuhm·PLEE·tuhd dhuh sur·tuh·fuh·KAY·shuhn KORS fer HAND·luhng HA·zer·duhs muh·TEER·ee·uhlz SAY·flee
"He taught a popular robotics course at the college."
hee TAHT uh PAH·pyuh·ler roh·BAH·duhks KORS uht dhuh KAH·luhj
"He used online resources to supplement the course materials."
hee YOOZD AHN·lahyn REE·sor·suhz tuh SUH·pluh·mehnt dhuh KORS muh·TEER·ee·uhlz
"I enrolled in an elective course to explore my interests."
ahy uhn·ROHLD ihn uhn uh·LEHK·tuhv KORS tuh uhk·SPLOR mahy IHN·truhsts
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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 "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 do I pronounce the R in "course"?
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 "course" 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 "KORS" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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