How to pronounce minutes in American English
Americans pronounce minutes as MIH-nuhts (/ˈmɪnəts/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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Why "minutes" sounds like MIH·nuhts.
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, how Americans glue words together so they sound like one phrase. It comes out as MIH·nuhts.
Hear "minutes" in the wild.
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Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch MIH — keep everything else short and quick.
Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
Questions people ask about this.
How is "minutes" stressed in American English?
Why does the second syllable in "minutes" reduce to "uh"?
Is the American pronunciation of "minutes" different from British English?
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