How to pronounce great in American English

IPA /greɪt/ Syllables 1 · grayt Stress 1st syllable

GRAYT

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Americans pronounce great as GRAYT (/greɪt/).

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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 "great", 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 "great" sounds like GRAYT.

In "great", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's why Americans sound more relaxed than the textbook. It comes out as GRAYT.

In real conversation

Hear "great" in the wild.

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

"Creating a great database takes brave behavior."

kree·AY·tuhng uh GRAYT DAY·duh·bays TAYKS BRAYV buh·HAY·vyer

"He felt a great sense of relief."

hee FEHLT uh GRAYT SEHNS uhv ruh·LEEF

"Her performance received a great review."

her per·FOR·muhns ruh·SEEVD uh GRAYT ruh·VYOO

"I just finished reading a great book."

ahy juhst FIH·nuhsht REE·duhng uh GRAYT BUUK

"She described her symptoms to the doctor in great detail."

shee duh·SKRAHYBD her SIHMP·tuhmz tuh dhuh DAHK·ter ihn GRAYT DEE·tayl

"She has a great talent for public speaking."

shee huhz uh GRAYT TA·luhnt fer PUH·bluhk SPEE·kuhng

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 "great", 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.

great→GRAYT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "great" sounds like GRAYT.

Hear "great" 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.

Stop reading about "great". Start saying it.