How to pronounce fake in American English

IPA /feɪk/ Syllables 1 · fayk Stress 1st syllable

FAYK

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Americans pronounce fake as FAYK (/feɪk/). It's 3 sounds in 1 syllable. The vowel glides through two positions, not one fixed shape — keep both halves audible.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "fake".

1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

f/f/

Lift your bottom lip to touch the very bottom of your top front teeth. Blow air through this contact point without voicing.

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.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

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Questions

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