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 issue in American English
IH·shoo
Start here
Americans pronounce issue as IH-shoo (/ˈɪʃu/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The social issue caused a crucial crash" or "This is a fundamental issue of equality" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "issue".
2 syllables, 3 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
sh/ʃ/
Flare your lips and lift the mid-front tongue close to the roof of your mouth. Blow air through without voicing.
oo/u/
Round your lips into a tight circle. Let your tongue rest in the middle of your mouth, slightly raised.
In real conversation
Hear "issue" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Campaign finance reform has been a contentious issue for decades."
kam·PAYN FAHY·nans ruh·FORM huhz bihn uh kuhn·TEHN·shuhs IH·shoo fer DEH·kaydz
"Healthcare accessibility is a contentious political issue currently."
HEHLTH·kair uhk·seh·suh·BIH·luh·tee ihz uh kuhn·TEHN·shuhs puh·LIH·duh·kuhl IH·shoo KUR·uhnt·lee
"Housing affordability remains a pressing issue for young families."
HOW·zuhng uh·for·duh·BIH·luh·tee ruh·MAYNZ uh PREH·suhng IH·shoo fer YUHNG FA·muh·leez
"I am inclined to agree with what you said about the issue."
ahy uhm ihn·KLAHYND tuh uh·GREE wihth wuht yuh sehd uh·BOWT dhee IH·shoo
"I wanted to bring to your attention an issue that requires resolution."
ahy WAHN·tuhd tuh BRIHNG tuh yer uh·TEHN·shn uhn IH·shoo dhuht ruh·KWAHYRZ reh·zuh·LOO·shuhn
"The essay prompt asked students to analyze a complex issue."
dhee EH·say PRAHMPT ASKT STOO·duhnts tuh A·nuh·lahyz uh KAHM·plehks IH·shoo
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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
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch IH — keep everything else short and quick.
ih·SHOO→IH·shoo
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "issue" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "IH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "IH-shoo" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "issue" 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 "IH-shoo" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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