How to pronounce fast in American English

IPA /fæst/ Syllables 1 · fast Stress 1st syllable

FAST

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Americans pronounce fast as FAST (/fæst/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "fast", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

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Why it sounds different

Why "fast" sounds like FAST.

In "fast", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as FAST.

In real conversation

Hear "fast" in the wild.

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

"Five fast fish."

FAHYV FAST FIHSH

"He struggled to keep up with the fast pace of the lesson."

hee STRUH·guhld tuh KEEP UHP wihth dhuh FAST PAYS uhv dhuh LEH·suhn

"I cannot believe how fast the kids have grown over the years."

ahy KA·naht buh·LEEV HOW FAST dhuh KIHDZ huhv GROHN OH·ver dhuh YEERZ

"My younger brother loves to run fast."

mahy YUHNG·ger BRUH·dher LUHVZ tuh RUHN FAST

"The photograph of the phone graph fades fast."

dhuh FOH·duh·graf uhv dhuh FOHN GRAF FAYDZ FAST

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "fast", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

fast→FAST

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "fast" sounds like FAST.

Hear "fast" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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