How to pronounce keeps in American English

IPA /kips/ Syllables 1 · keeps Stress 1st syllable

KEEPS

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Americans pronounce keeps as KEEPS (/kips/).

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Why it sounds different

Why "keeps" sounds like KEEPS.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, a tiny act of laziness that makes the rhythm feel right. It comes out as KEEPS.

In real conversation

Hear "keeps" in the wild.

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

"Gravity is the force that keeps the planets in orbit."

GRA·vuh·dee ihz dhuh FORS dhuht KEEPS dhuh PLA·nuhts ihn OR·buht

"He keeps a notebook to record his observations of plant growth."

hee KEEPS uh NOHT·buuk tuh REH·kerd hihz ahb·zer·VAY·shuhnz uhv PLANT GROHTH

"He keeps a tropical fish tank in his living room."

hee KEEPS uh TRAH·puh·kuhl FIHSH TANGK ihn hihz LIH·vuhng ROOM

"She keeps a journal to practice writing in her second language."

shee KEEPS uh JUR·nuhl tuh PRAK·tuhs RAHY·duhng ihn her SEH·kuhnd LANG·gwuhj

"She keeps all her important legal documents in a fireproof safe."

shee KEEPS AHL her uhm·POR·tuhnt LEE·guhl DAH·kyuh·muhnts ihn uh FAHY·er·proof SAYF

"The drive to survive keeps the mind alive."

dhuh DRAHYV tuh ser·VAHYV KEEPS dhuh MAHYND uh·LAHYV

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "keeps" 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 "KEEPS" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.