How to pronounce likes in American English

IPA /laɪks/ Syllables 1 · lahyks Stress 1st syllable

LAHYKS

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Americans pronounce likes as LAHYKS (/laɪks/).

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Sounds

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"He likes cream and sugar in his coffee."

hee LAHYKS kreem and SHUU·ger ihn hihz KAH·fee

"She has a pet cat she likes to pat."

shee huhz uh PEHT kat shee LAHYKS tuh PAT

Questions

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

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