k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce kite in American English
KAHYT
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Americans pronounce kite as KAHYT (/kaɪt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Keep the kite" or "The size of the fine kite was quite high" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "kite".
1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ahy/aɪ/
Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.
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.
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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 "kite", 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.
kite→KAHYT
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
Is the American pronunciation of "kite" 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 "KAHYT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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