How to pronounce forget in American English

IPA /fərˈgɛt/ Syllables 2 · fer·geht Stress 2nd syllable

fer·GEHT

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Americans pronounce forget as fer-GEHT (/fərˈgɛt/). The R is one continuous sound with the vowel — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. 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%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "forget" sounds like fer·GEHT.

The "" shared between "" and "" is held once, slightly longer, and released once instead of stopping and starting twice. This is called the Same-Consonant Linking, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as fer·GEHT.

In real conversation

Hear "forget" in the wild.

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

"Before you leave, don't forget to turn off the lights."

buh·FOR yoo LEEV DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh TURN AHF dhuh LAHYTS

"Don't forget to lock the door."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh LAHK dhuh DOR

"Don't forget to put on your sunglasses."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh PUUT ahn yer SUHN·gla·suhz

"Don't forget to turn off the stove before you leave."

DOHNT fer·GEHT tuh TURN AHF dhuh STOHV buh·FOR yuh LEEV

"I always forget at least one item on my shopping list."

ahy AHL·wayz fer·GEHT uht LEEST wuhn AHY·duhm ahn mahy SHAH·puhng LIHST

"You didn't forget about our plans, did you?"

yoo DIH·duhnt fer·GEHT uh·BOWT owr PLANZ dihd yoo

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 GEHT — keep everything else short and quick.

FER·geht→fer·GEHT

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 "forget" stressed in American English?

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

How do I pronounce the R in "forget"?

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 "forget" 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 "fer-GEHT" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "forget" sounds like fer·GEHT.

Hear "forget" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

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