How to pronounce lab in American English

IPA /læb/ Syllables 1 · lab Stress 1st syllable

LAB

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Americans pronounce lab as LAB (/læb/).

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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 "lab", the "" 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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Why it sounds different

Why "lab" sounds like LAB.

In "lab", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as LAB.

In real conversation

Hear "lab" in the wild.

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

"He follows strict safety protocols while working in the lab."

hee FAH·lohz STRIHKT SAYF·tee PROH·duh·kahlz WAHYL WUR·kuhng uhn dhuh LAB

"He synthesized a new compound in the organic chemistry lab."

hee SIHN·thuh·sahyzd uh noo KAHM·pownd ihn dhee or·GA·nuhk CHEH·muh·stree LAB

"He will conduct an experiment in the lab."

hee wihl kuhn·DUHKT uhn ihk·SPEH·ruh·muhnt ihn dhuh LAB

"I bet the biology lab is busy before breaks."

ahy BEHT dhuh bahy·AH·luh·jee LAB ihz BIH·zee buh·FOR BRAYKS

"She has a degree in molecular biology and works in a lab."

shee huhz uh duh·GREE ihn muh·LEH·kyuh·ler bahy·AH·luh·jee and WURKS ihn uh LAB

"She works in a pathology lab analyzing tissue samples."

shee WURKS ihn uh puh·THAH·luh·jee LAB A·nuh·lahy·zuhng TIH·shoo SAM·puhlz

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 "lab", the "" 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.

lab→LAB

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "lab" sounds like LAB.

Hear "lab" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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