k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce court in American English
KORT
Start here
Americans pronounce court as KORT (/kɔrt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "He appealed to the supreme court as a last resort" or "She practiced her backhand swing on the tennis court" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "court".
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.
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 "court" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"He appealed to the supreme court as a last resort."
hee uh·PEELD tuh dhuh suh·PREEM KORT uhz uh last ruh·ZORT
"He challenged the constitutionality of the new law in court."
hee CHA·luhnjd dhuh kahn·stuh·too·shuh·NA·luh·tee uhv dhuh noo LAH ihn KORT
"She practiced her backhand swing on the tennis court."
shee PRAK·tuhst her BAK·hand SWIHNG ahn dhuh TEH·nuhs KORT
"She testified against her former accomplice in court."
shee TEH·stuh·fahyd uh·GEHNST her FOR·mer uh·KAHM·pluhs ihn KORT
"The court order mandates that he pay full restitution."
dhuh KORT OR·der MAN·dayts dhuht hee PAY FUUL rehs·tuh·TOO·shuhn
"The court ordered him to pay child support every month."
dhuh KORT OR·derd hihm tuh PAY CHAHYLD suh·PORT EHV·ree muhnth
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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
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "court", 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.
court→KORT
02
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 "court"?
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 "court" 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 "KORT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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