How to pronounce don't in American English

IPA /doʊnt/ Syllables 1 · dohnt

dohnt

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Americans pronounce don't as dohnt (/doʊnt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Don't give up on your goals" or "Don't forget to lock the door" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "don't".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

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.

oh/oʊ/

Start with your mouth slightly open, then close your jaw slightly as your lips round. Shift your tongue back slightly, then stretch the back up.

n/n/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.

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 "don't" in the wild.

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

"Before you leave, don't forget to turn off the lights."

buh·FOR yoo LEEV DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh TURN AHF dhuh LAHYTS

"Don't desert your friends when they need you."

DOHNT duh·ZURT yer FREHNDZ wehn dhay NEED yoo

"Don't forget to lock the door."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh LAHK dhuh DOR

"Don't forget to put on your sunglasses."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh PUUT ahn yer SUHN·gla·suhz

"Don't forget to turn off the stove before you leave."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh TURN AHF dhuh STOHV buh·FOR yuh LEEV

"Don't pull the metal pole into the swimming pool."

DOHNT PUUL dhuh MEH·duhl POHL ihn·tuh dhuh SWIH·muhng POOL

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Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "don't" 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 "dohnt" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.