How to pronounce enough in American English

IPA /əˈnʌf/ Syllables 2 · uh·nuhf Stress 2nd syllable

uh·NUHF

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Americans pronounce enough as uh-NUHF (/əˈnʌf/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "enough" sounds like uh·NUHF.

The "" shared between "" and "" is held once, slightly longer, and released once instead of stopping and starting twice. This is called the Same-Consonant Linking, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as uh·NUHF.

In real conversation

Hear "enough" in the wild.

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

"Does the judge have enough money for lunch?"

duhz dhuh JUHJ hav uh·NUHF MUH·nee fer LUHNCH

"Her threadbare coat was not warm enough."

her THREHD·bair KOHT wuhz NAHT WORM uh·NUHF

"I walk to work when the weather is nice enough."

ahy WAHK tuh WURK wehn dhuh WEH·dher ihz NAHYS uh·NUHF

"It's important to get enough rest."

ihts uhm·POR·tuhnt tuh GEHT uh·NUHF REHST

"The rough cough was enough to frighten Fred."

dhuh RUHF KAHF wuhz uh·NUHF tuh FRAHY·tuhn FREHD

"The sample size was large enough to draw valid conclusions."

dhuh SAM·puhl SAHYZ wuhz LARJ uh·NUHF tuh DRAH VA·luhd kuhn·KLOO·zhuhnz

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

UH·nuhf→uh·NUHF

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.

UH·NUHF→uh·NUHF

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "enough" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "NUHF" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "uh-NUHF" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the first syllable in "enough" 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 "uh-NUHF" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "enough" 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 "uh-NUHF" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "enough" sounds like uh·NUHF.

Hear "enough" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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