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 dispute in American English
dih·SPYOOT
Start here
Americans pronounce dispute as dih-SPYOOT (/dɪˈspjut/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The dispute over the property line was settled out of court" or "The settlement agreement resolved the dispute without a trial" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "dispute".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ih/ɪ/
Drop your jaw slightly with relaxed lips. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and arch the top-front toward the roof.
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.
yoo/ju/
Start with the tongue mid-front raised high, almost touching the roof of the mouth (but not touching). Glide into a tight lip circle as the tongue back lifts.
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 "dispute" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"The diplomat negotiated a peaceful resolution to the border dispute."
dhuh DIH·pluh·mat nuh·GOH·shee·ay·duhd uh PEES·fuhl reh·zuh·LOO·shuhn tuh dhuh BOR·der dih·SPYOOT
"The dispute over the property line was settled out of court."
dhuh dih·SPYOOT OH·ver dhuh PRAH·per·tee LAHYN wuhz SEH·duhld OWT uhv KORT
"The maritime dispute has been referred to international courts."
dhuh MAIR·uh·tahym dih·SPYOOT huhz bihn ruh·FURD tuh ihn·ter·NA·shuh·nuhl KORTS
"The settlement agreement resolved the dispute without a trial."
dhuh SEH·duhl·muhnt uh·GREE·muhnt ruh·ZAHLVD dhuh dih·SPYOOT wih·DHOWT uh TRAHY·uhl
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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 "dispute", 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.
dispute→dih·SPYOOT
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch SPYOOT — keep everything else short and quick.
DIH·spyoot→dih·SPYOOT
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "dispute" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "SPYOOT" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "dih-SPYOOT" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "dispute" 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 "dih-SPYOOT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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