How to pronounce court in American English

IPA /kɔrt/ Syllables 1 · kort Stress 1st syllable

KORT

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Americans pronounce court as KORT (/kɔrt/). The R is one continuous sound with the vowel — the tongue curls back rather than rolling.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "court", 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.

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "court" sounds like KORT.

In "court", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's why Americans sound more relaxed than the textbook. It comes out as KORT.

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

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 "court", 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.

court→KORT

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.

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "court" sounds like KORT.

Hear "court" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "court". Start saying it.