detailed

IPA /ˈdiˌɾeɪld/ Syllables 2 · dee·tayld Stress 1st syllable
DEE·tayld
Start here

Americans pronounce detailed as DEE-tayld (/ˈdiˌɾeɪld/). The T between vowels softens into a quick D-like flap, so it sounds closer to a D than a crisp T. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "detailed" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are
Tap the mic to start
Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

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

Treating every L the same.

The L in "detailed" is a dark L — the back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate, adding a small "uh" quality before the L. Dark L adds a small schwa-like "uh" before the L. The back of the tongue lifts toward the soft palate.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

Unlock the full report in the app
Why it sounds different

Why "detailed" sounds like DEE·TAYLD.

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, how Americans glue words together so they sound like one phrase. It comes out as DEE·TAYLD.

In real conversation

Hear "detailed" in the wild.

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

"He builds detailed model airplanes in his spare time."
hee BIHLDZ DEE·tayld MAH·duhl AIR·playnz ihn hihz SPAIR TAHYM
"Please refer to the attached spreadsheet for the detailed breakdown."
PLEEZ ruh·FUR tuh dhee uh·TACHT SPREHD·sheet fer dhuh DEE·tayld BRAYK·down
"She recorded all observations in a detailed lab notebook."
shee ruh·KOR·duhd AHL ahb·zer·VAY·shuhnz ihn uh DEE·tayld LAB NOHT·buuk
"She sketched a rough outline before adding detailed shading."
shee SKEHCHT uh RUHF OWT·lahyn buh·FOR A·duhng DEE·tayld SHAY·duhng
"She took detailed notes during the entire two-hour lecture."
shee TUUK DEE·tayld NOHTS DUUR·uhng dhee uhn·TAHY·er TOO OWR LEHK·cher
"She took detailed notes throughout the entire meeting."
shee TUUK DEE·tayld NOHTS throo·OWT dhee ehn·TAHY·er MEE·duhng
Same pattern

Words that work the same way.

All of these share phonetic features with this word — same trick.

DEE·TAYLdetailDEE·TAYLZdetailsduh·PREE·shee·ay·tuhddepreciatedREE·TAYLretailKAL·kyuh·LAY·tuhdcalculatedDAY·tuh·buhldatableuh·PREE·shee·AY·tuhdappreciateduh·SOH·shee·AY·tuhdassociated
Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

01

Treating every L the same.

The L in "detailed" is a dark L — the back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate, adding a small "uh" quality before the L. Dark L adds a small schwa-like "uh" before the L. The back of the tongue lifts toward the soft palate.

detailed→DEE·TAYLD
02

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

dee·TAYLD→DEE·TAYLD
Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "detailed" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "DEE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "DEE-tayld" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why doesn't the T sound like a T in "detailed"?
In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "detailed" sounds closer to "DEE-tayld" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.
Is the American pronunciation of "detailed" 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 "DEE-tayld" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Stop reading about "detailed". Start saying it.

SayWaader is the AI pronunciation coach for American English. Practice 5 minutes a day. Get a 5-axes accent assessment. Sound like you live here.

Download for iOS Android Coming soon