How to pronounce extend in American English

IPA /əkˈstɛnd/ Syllables 2 · uhk·stehnd Stress 2nd syllable

uhk·STEHND

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Americans pronounce extend as uhk-STEHND (/əkˈstɛnd/). 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%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch STEHND — 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 "extend" sounds like uhk·STEHND.

The "" at the end of "" is dropped before the consonant starting "" — the surrounding consonants flow directly together — common in flowing natural speech; in careful or formal speech, the sound is often kept. This is called the Silent T/D Across Words, a connected-speech trick that makes phrases flow. It comes out as uhk·STEHND.

In real conversation

Hear "extend" in the wild.

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

"He proposed a motion to extend the deadline by two weeks."

hee pruh·POHZD uh MOH·shuhn tuh uhk·STEHND dhuh DEHD·lahyn bahy TOO WEEKS

"We are prepared to extend the warranty period as part of the deal."

wee er pruh·PAIRD tuh uhk·STEHND dhuh WOR·uhn·tee PEER·ee·uhd uhz PART uhv dhuh DEEL

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 STEHND — keep everything else short and quick.

UHK·stehnd→uhk·STEHND

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.

UHK·STEHND→uhk·STEHND

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "extend" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the first syllable in "extend" 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 "uhk-STEHND" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "extend" 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 "uhk-STEHND" 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 "extend" sounds like uhk·STEHND.

Hear "extend" 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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