How to pronounce great in American English

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

GRAYT

Start here

Americans pronounce great as GRAYT (/greɪt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "He felt a great sense of relief" or "I just finished reading a great book" — more examples below.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "great" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "great", the "t" 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.

Unlock the full report in the app

Sound by sound

Every sound in "great".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

g/g/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate. Add vocal cord vibration, then release.

r/r/

Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.

ay/eɪ/

Start with your jaw slightly open and the front of your tongue forward and slightly up. Glide upward, your jaw closes a little more and your tongue arches higher toward the roof of the mouth.

t/t/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Keep your jaw relaxed. Stop the air, then release with a puff.

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

Find another

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Search the entire library

Press / anywhere to focus the search box.

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 "t" 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.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "great".

Hear "great" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Looking for a different word or sentence?

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.