How to pronounce decades in American English

IPA /ˈdɛkeɪdz/ Syllables 2 · deh·kaydz Stress 1st syllable

DEH·kaydz

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Americans pronounce decades as DEH-kaydz (/ˈdɛkeɪdz/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch DEH — keep everything else short and quick.

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Why it sounds different

Why "decades" sounds like DEH·kaydz.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, a connected-speech trick that makes phrases flow. It comes out as DEH·kaydz.

In real conversation

Hear "decades" in the wild.

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

"Campaign finance reform has been a contentious issue for decades."

kam·PAYN FAHY·nans ruh·FORM huhz bihn uh kuhn·TEHN·shuhs IH·shoo fer DEH·kaydz

"Income inequality has widened considerably over the past decades."

IHN·kuhm uhn·uh·KWAH·luh·dee huhz WAHY·duhnd kuhn·SIH·der·uh·blee OH·ver dhuh PAST DEH·kaydz

"The literature review covered decades of research on the topic."

dhuh LIH·duh·ruh·chur ruh·VYOO KUH·verd DEH·kaydz uhv REE·surch ahn dhuh TAH·puhk

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch DEH — keep everything else short and quick.

deh·KAYDZ→DEH·kaydz

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "decades" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "DEH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "DEH-kaydz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Is the American pronunciation of "decades" 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 "DEH-kaydz" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "decades" sounds like DEH·kaydz.

Hear "decades" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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