How to pronounce incredibly in American English

IPA /ənˈkrɛdəbli/ Syllables 4 · uhn·kreh·duh·blee Stress 2nd syllable
uhn·KREH·duh·blee
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Americans pronounce incredibly as uhn-KREH-duh-blee (/ənˈkrɛdəbli/). The T between vowels softens into a quick D-like flap, so it sounds closer to a D than a crisp T. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Common mistakes

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

In "incredibly", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. /t/ or /d/ becomes a quick tap [ɾ] — sounds like a soft D. The tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "incredibly" sounds like uhn·KREH·duh·blee.

In "incredibly", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. This is called the Flap T, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. So instead of uhn·KREH·tuh·blee, you get uhn·KREH·duh·blee.

In real conversation

Hear "incredibly" in the wild.

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

"I bet the heavy metal section is incredibly deafening."
ahy BEHT dhuh HEH·vee MEH·duhl SEHK·shuhn ihz uhn·KREH·duh·blee DEH·fuh·nuhng
"She felt incredibly frustrated when the plan fell through."
shee FEHLT uhn·KREH·duh·blee FRUH·stray·duhd wehn dhuh PLAN FEHL throo
"The hospital staff were incredibly kind and professional."
dhuh HAH·spuh·tuhl STAF wer uhn·KREH·duh·blee KAHYND and pruh·FEH·shuh·nuhl
"The special effects make the sci-fi world look incredibly realistic."
dhuh SPEH·shuhl uh·FEHKTS MAYK dhuh SAHY fahy WURLD LUUK uhn·KREH·duh·blee ree·uh·LIH·stuhk
"This material feels incredibly soft."
dhihs muh·TEER·ee·uhl FEELZ uhn·KREH·duh·blee sahft
Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

01

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

In "incredibly", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. /t/ or /d/ becomes a quick tap [ɾ] — sounds like a soft D. The tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth.

uhn-KREH-tuh-bleeuhn·KREH·duh·blee
02

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

UHN·kreh·DUH·BLEEuhn·KREH·duh·blee
03

Pronouncing the first 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.

UHN·KREH·duh·bleeuhn·KREH·duh·blee
Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "incredibly" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "KREH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "uhn-KREH-duh-blee" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why doesn't the T sound like a T in "incredibly"?
In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "incredibly" sounds closer to "uhn-KREH-duh-blee" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.
Why does the first syllable in "incredibly" 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 "uhn-KREH-duh-blee" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
Is the American pronunciation of "incredibly" 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 "uhn-KREH-duh-blee" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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