How to pronounce grades in American English
GRAYDZ
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Americans pronounce grades as GRAYDZ (/greɪdz/).
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Why it sounds different
Why "grades" sounds like GRAYDZ.
The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, a connected-speech trick that makes phrases flow. It comes out as GRAYDZ.
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Questions
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Is the American pronunciation of "grades" 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 "GRAYDZ" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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