How to pronounce crack in American English

IPA /kræk/ Syllables 1 · krak Stress 1st syllable

KRAK

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Americans pronounce crack as KRAK (/kræk/). You'll hear it in sentences like "The chaotic character caused a crack in the case" or "The chef used his muscle to crack the large mussel" — more examples below.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "crack", the "k" 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.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "crack".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

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.

a/æ/

Drop the jaw noticeably. Keep the body of the tongue low and forward, and don't let the back of the tongue raise toward the soft palate. Pull the lip corners back slightly, almost a starting smile.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

In real conversation

Hear "crack" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"The chaotic character caused a crack in the case."

dhuh kay·AH·duhk KEH·ruhk·ter KAHZD uh KRAK ihn dhuh KAYS

"The chef used his muscle to crack the large mussel."

dhuh SHEHF YOOZD hihz MUH·suhl tuh KRAK dhuh LARJ MUH·suhl

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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.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "crack", the "k" 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.

crack→KRAK

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "crack" 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 "KRAK" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "crack".

Hear "crack" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "crack". Start saying it.