g/g/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate. Add vocal cord vibration, then release.
How to pronounce good in American English
GUUD
Start here
Americans pronounce good as GUUD (/gʊd/). You'll hear it in sentences like "The game is good" or "This book is good" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "good".
1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
uu/ʊ/
Bring the corners of your lips in slightly so they push forward, but keep them relaxed. Lift the back of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.
d/d/
Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Add vocal cord vibration as you release.
In real conversation
Hear "good" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"A banana is a good source of potassium."
uh buh·NA·nuh ihz uh GUUD SORS uhv puh·TA·see·uhm
"Can you recommend a good place to eat?"
kuhn yoo reh·kuh·MEHND uh GUUD PLAYS tuh EET
"Eating a fresh mussel is good for your muscle growth."
EE·duhng uh FREHSH MUH·suhl ihz GUUD fer yer MUH·suhl GROHTH
"Good luck with the bus."
GUUD LUHK wihth dhuh BUHS
"He was glad to receive the good news."
hee wuhz GLAD tuh ruh·SEEV dhuh GUUD NOOZ
"He's a good friend of mine."
heez uh GUUD FREHND uhv MAHYN
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "good", the "d" 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.
good→GUUD
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
Is the American pronunciation of "good" 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 "GUUD" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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