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 downturns in American English
DOWN·turnz
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Americans pronounce downturns as DOWN-turnz (/ˈdaʊnˌtɜrnz/). In "downturns", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. This is called the Silent T after N, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as DOWN·TURNZ. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Social safety nets provide crucial support during economic downturns".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "downturns".
2 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ow/aʊ/
Start with a dropped jaw and flat tongue. Glide into a relaxed, slightly rounded lip position as the back of the tongue stretches 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/
DroppedThe T is skipped entirely. Your tongue doesn't make contact at the T position.
ur/ɜr/
Flare your lips and push them away from the face. Lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.
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.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
In real conversation
Hear "downturns" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
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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
Pronouncing the silent T after N.
In "downturns", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. /t/ is completely silent — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound.
downturns→DOWN·TURNZ
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch DOWN — keep everything else short and quick.
down·TURNZ→DOWN·TURNZ
03
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "downturns" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "DOWN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "DOWN-turnz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "downturns"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
Is the American pronunciation of "downturns" 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 "DOWN-turnz" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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