k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce criteria in American English
krahy·TEER·ee·uh
Start here
Americans pronounce criteria as krahy-TEER-ee-uh (/kraɪˈtɪriə/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The grading criteria were clearly explained in the course syllabus".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "criteria".
4 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
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.
ahy/aɪ/
Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.
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.
eer/ɪr/
Start with the high 'ih' position. Pull the tongue back and up while flaring the 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.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
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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 second syllable, not the others. Stretch TEER — keep everything else short and quick.
KRAHY·teer·EE·UH→krahy·TEER·ee·uh
02
Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the third syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
krahy·TEER·ee·UH→krahy·TEER·ee·uh
03
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 is "criteria" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "TEER" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "krahy-TEER-ee-uh" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the fourth syllable in "criteria" reduce to "uh"?
Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "krahy-TEER-ee-uh" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "criteria"?
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 "criteria" 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 "krahy-TEER-ee-uh" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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