How to pronounce cup in American English

IPA /kʌp/ Syllables 1 · kuhp Stress 1st syllable

KUHP

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Americans pronounce cup as KUHP (/kʌp/).

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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 "cup", 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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "cup" sounds like KUHP.

In "cup", 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 KUHP.

In real conversation

Hear "cup" in the wild.

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

"A cup of tea."

uh KUHP uhv TEE

"Bring a cup of water to the cop who lost his cap."

BRIHNG uh KUHP uhv WAH·der tuh dhuh KAHP hoo LAHST hihz KAP

"Can you get me a cup of coffee?"

kuhn yuh GEHT mee uh KUHP uhv KAH·fee

"Can you pass me that cup and that glass?"

kuhn yoo PAS mee DHAT KUHP and DHAT GLAS

"Could you grab the blue cup from the shelf?"

kuud yoo GRAB dhuh BLOO KUHP fruhm dhuh SHEHLF

"He needs help to hold the heavy gold cup."

hee NEEDZ HEHLP tuh HOHLD dhuh HEH·vee GOHLD KUHP

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 "cup", 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.

cup→KUHP

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "cup" 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 "KUHP" 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.

Why "cup" sounds like KUHP.

Hear "cup" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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