eh/ɛ/
Drop your jaw moderately. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and lift the mid-front part slightly toward the roof.
How to pronounce entertain in American English
ehn·ter·TAYN
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Americans pronounce entertain as ehn-ter-TAYN (/ˌɛntərˈteɪn/). In "entertain", 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, a small move that separates 'classroom' from 'native'. It comes out as EHN·ter·TAYN. Stress falls on the third syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "He practices card tricks to entertain his nephews".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "entertain".
3 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
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.
er/ər/
Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.
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.
ay/eɪ/
Start with your jaw slightly open and the front of your tongue forward and slightly up. Glide upward, your jaw closes a little more and your tongue arches higher 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.
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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 "entertain", 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.
entertain→EHN·ter·TAYN
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the third syllable, not the others. Stretch TAYN — keep everything else short and quick.
EHN·TER·tayn→EHN·ter·TAYN
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 "entertain" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the third syllable — say "TAYN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ehn-ter-TAYN" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "entertain"?
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 "entertain" 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 "ehn-ter-TAYN" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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