How to pronounce grocery in American English

IPA /ˈgroʊsəri/ Syllables 3 · groh·suh·ree Stress 1st syllable

GROH·suh·ree

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Americans pronounce grocery as GROH-suh-ree (/ˈgroʊsəri/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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In real conversation

Hear "grocery" in the wild.

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

"Are there any other grocery stores around here?"

ar DHAIR EH·nee UH·dher GROH·suh·ree STORZ uh·ROWND HEER

"I need to go to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store."

ahy NEED tuh GOH tuh dhuh BANGK dhuh POHST AH·fuhs and dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR

"I ran into your neighbor at the grocery store yesterday."

ahy RAN IHN·too yer NAY·ber uht dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR YEH·ster·day

"I'm going to the grocery store later."

ahym GOH·uhng tuh dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR LAY·der

"The grocery store was completely out of milk this morning."

dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR wuhz kuhm·PLEET·lee OWT uhv MIHLK dhihs MOR·nuhng

"We're going to the grocery store after this."

weer GOH·uhng tuh dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR AF·ter dhihs

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 first syllable, not the others. Stretch GROH — keep everything else short and quick.

groh·SUH·REE→GROH·suh·ree

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

GROH·SUH·ree→GROH·suh·ree

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "grocery" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the second syllable in "grocery" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "GROH-suh-ree" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "grocery" 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 "GROH-suh-ree" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Hear "grocery" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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