How to pronounce mistake in American English

IPA /məˈsteɪk/ Syllables 2 · muh·stayk Stress 2nd syllable

muh·STAYK

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Americans pronounce mistake as muh-STAYK (/məˈsteɪk/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "mistake", 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.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch STAYK — keep everything else short and quick.

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Why it sounds different

Why "mistake" sounds like muh·STAYK.

In "mistake", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, a hallmark of natural-sounding American speech. It comes out as muh·STAYK.

In real conversation

Hear "mistake" in the wild.

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

"I realize now that I made a mistake and I am sorry."

ahy REE·uh·lahyz NOW dhuht ahy MAYD uh muh·STAYK and ahy uhm SAH·ree

"It was a really bad mistake."

iht wuhz uh REE·lee BAD muh·STAYK

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 "mistake", 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.

mistake→muh·STAYK

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch STAYK — keep everything else short and quick.

MUH·stayk→muh·STAYK

Pronouncing the first 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.

MUH·STAYK→muh·STAYK

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "mistake" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "STAYK" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "muh-STAYK" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the first syllable in "mistake" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "muh-STAYK" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "mistake" 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 "muh-STAYK" 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.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "mistake" sounds like muh·STAYK.

Hear "mistake" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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