How to pronounce kept in American English

IPA /kɛp/ Syllables 1 · kehp Stress 1st syllable

KEHP

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Americans pronounce kept as KEHP (/kɛp/). You'll hear it in sentences like "She kept her promise to help" or "He kept quiet during the entire film" — 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 "kept", 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 "kept".

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.

eh/ɛ/

Drop your jaw moderately. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and lift the mid-front part slightly toward the roof.

p/p/

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

In real conversation

Hear "kept" in the wild.

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

"Bender kept a steady level of energy during the trek."

BEHN·der KEHPT uh STEH·dee LEH·vuhl uhv EH·ner·jee DUUR·uhng dhuh TREHK

"He kept quiet during the entire film."

hee KEHP KWAHY·uht DUUR·uhng dhee uhn·TAHY·er FIHLM

"She facilitated the discussion and kept everyone focused on the objectives."

shee fuh·SIH·luh·tay·duhd dhuh duh·SKUH·shuhn and KEHPT EHV·ree·wuhn FOH·kuhst ahn dhee uhb·JEHK·tuhvz

"She kept her promise to help."

shee KEHPT her PRAH·muhs tuh HEHLP

"She kept track of the score using a notepad."

shee kehpt TRAK uhv dhuh SKOR YOO·zuhng uh NOHT·pad

"The cook kept the cake in the cool kitchen."

dhuh KUUK KEHPT dhuh KAYK ihn dhuh KOOL KIH·chuhn

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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 "kept", 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.

kept→KEHP

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "kept".

Hear "kept" 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.

Stop reading about "kept". Start saying it.