How to pronounce feedback in American English

IPA /ˈfidˌbæk/ Syllables 2 · feed·bak Stress 1st syllable

FEED·bak

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Americans pronounce feedback as FEED-bak (/ˈfidˌbæk/). Stress falls on the first 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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "feedback", 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.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "feedback" sounds like FEED·BAK.

In "feedback", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, a hallmark of natural-sounding American speech. It comes out as FEED·BAK.

In real conversation

Hear "feedback" in the wild.

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

"I incorporated feedback from the writing tutor into my revision."

ahy ihn·KOR·puh·ray·duhd FEED·bak fruhm dhuh RAHY·duhng TOO·der IHN·too mahy ruh·VIH·zhuhn

"I participate in a creative writing group to get feedback."

ahy par·TIH·suh·payt ihn uh kree·AY·duhv RAHY·duhng GROOP tuh geht FEED·bak

"I want to provide some constructive feedback on your recent presentation."

ahy WAHNT tuh pruh·VAHYD suhm kuhn·STRUHK·tuhv FEED·bak ahn yer REE·suhnt preh·zuhn·TAY·shuhn

"I would appreciate your feedback at your earliest convenience."

ahy wuud uh·PREE·shee·ayt yer FEED·bak uht yer UR·lee·uhst kuhn·VEEN·yuhns

"She received feedback on her performance after the assessment."

shee ruh·SEEVD FEED·bak ahn her per·FOR·muhns AF·ter dhee uh·SEH·smuhnt

"The feedback from our pilot program has been overwhelmingly positive."

dhuh FEED·bak fruhm OW·er PAHY·luht PROH·gruhm huhz bihn oh·ver·WEHL·muhng·lee PAH·zuh·tuhv

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 "feedback", 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.

feedback→FEED·BAK

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

feed·BAK→FEED·BAK

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "feedback" stressed in American English?

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

Is the American pronunciation of "feedback" 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 "FEED-bak" 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.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "feedback" sounds like FEED·BAK.

Hear "feedback" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "feedback". Start saying it.