d/d/
Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Add vocal cord vibration as you release.
How to pronounce despite in American English
duh·SPAHYT
Start here
Americans pronounce despite as duh-SPAHYT (/dəˈspaɪt/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The team spirit remained high despite the tough loss" or "Thank you for being patient with me despite my shortcomings" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "despite".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
s/s/
Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.
p/p/
Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.
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.
In real conversation
Hear "despite" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Diplomatic channels remain open despite the ongoing disagreements."
dih·pluh·MA·tuhk CHA·nuhlz ruh·MAYN OH·puhn duh·SPAHYT dhee AHN·goh·uhng dih·suh·GREE·muhnts
"He showed remarkable resilience despite facing numerous setbacks."
hee SHOHD ruh·MAR·kuh·buhl ruh·ZIHL·yuhns duh·SPAHYT FAY·suhng NOO·muh·ruhs SEHT·baks
"Thank you for being patient with me despite my shortcomings."
THANGK yoo fer BEE·uhng PAY·shuhnt wihth mee duh·SPAHYT mahy SHORT·kuh·muhngz
"The governor signed the executive order despite strong opposition."
dhuh GUH·ver·ner SAHYND dhee uhg·ZEH·kyuh·tuhv OR·der duh·SPAHYT STRAHNG ah·puh·ZIH·shuhn
"The stock portfolio has performed well despite the market volatility."
dhuh STAHK port·FOH·lee·oh huhz per·FORMD wehl duh·SPAHYT dhuh MAR·kuht vah·luh·TIH·luh·tee
"The team spirit remained high despite the tough loss."
dhuh TEEM SPIH·ruht ruh·MAYND HAHY duh·SPAHYT dhuh TUHF LAHS
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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
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "despite", the "t" 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.
despite→duh·SPAHYT
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch SPAHYT — keep everything else short and quick.
DUH·spahyt→duh·SPAHYT
03
Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
DUH·SPAHYT→duh·SPAHYT
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "despite" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "SPAHYT" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "duh-SPAHYT" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the first syllable in "despite" 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 "duh-SPAHYT" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
Is the American pronunciation of "despite" 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 "duh-SPAHYT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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