ih/ɪ/
Drop your jaw slightly with relaxed lips. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and arch the top-front toward the roof.
How to pronounce input in American English
IHN·puut
Start here
Americans pronounce input as IHN-puut (/ˈɪnˌpʊt/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The project requires input from multiple departments to succeed" or "I appreciate everyone's input during our discussion earlier today" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "input".
2 syllables, 5 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
n/n/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.
p/p/
Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.
uu/ʊ/
Bring the corners of your lips in slightly so they push forward, but keep them relaxed. Lift the back of your tongue 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 "input" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"I appreciate everyone's input during our discussion earlier today."
ahy uh·PREE·shee·ayt EHV·ree·wuhnz IHN·puut DUUR·uhng ar duh·SKUH·shuhn UR·lee·er tuh·DAY
"I appreciate your input, though I see things somewhat differently."
ahy uh·PREE·shee·ayt yer IHN·puut dhoh ahy SEE THIHNGZ SUHM·wuht DIH·fruhnt·lee
"The project requires input from multiple departments to succeed."
dhuh PRAH·jehkt ruh·KWAHYRZ IHN·puut fruhm MUHL·tuh·puhl duh·PART·muhnts tuh suhk·SEED
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "input", 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.
input→IHN·PUUT
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch IHN — keep everything else short and quick.
ihn·PUUT→IHN·PUUT
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "input" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "IHN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "IHN-puut" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "input" 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 "IHN-puut" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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