How to pronounce keep in American English

IPA /kip/ Syllables 1 · keep Stress 1st syllable

KEEP

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Americans pronounce keep as KEEP (/kip/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Keep the kite" or "Keep the street clean" — more examples below.

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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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "keep", the "p" 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.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "keep".

1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

k/k/

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.

ee/i/

Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.

p/p/

Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.

In real conversation

Hear "keep" in the wild.

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

"He repaired the fence to keep the livestock inside."

hee ruh·PAIRD dhuh FEHNS tuh KEEP dhuh LAHYV·stahk uhn·SAHYD

"He struggled to keep up with the fast pace of the lesson."

hee STRUH·guhld tuh KEEP UHP wihth dhuh FAST PAYS uhv dhuh LEH·suhn

"He uses chalk to keep his hands dry while lifting."

hee YOO·zuhz CHAHK tuh KEEP hihz HANDZ DRAHY WAHYL LIHF·tuhng

"I enjoy solving complex crossword puzzles to keep my mind sharp."

ahy uhn·JOY SAHL·vuhng KAHM·plehks KRAHS·wurd PUH·zuhlz tuh KEEP mahy MAHYND SHARP

"I will keep you updated on any developments regarding this issue."

ahy wuhl KEEP yuh uhp·DAY·duhd ahn EH·nee duh·VEH·luhp·muhnts ruh·GAR·duhng dhihs IH·shoo

"Keep the chemicals in the locked cabinet."

KEEP dhuh KEH·muh·kuhlz ihn dhuh LAHKT KA·buh·nuht

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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.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "keep", the "p" 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.

keep→KEEP

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "keep" 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 "KEEP" 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

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "keep".

Hear "keep" 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.

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