How to pronounce of in American English

IPA /əv/ Syllables 1 · uhv

uhv

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Americans pronounce of as uhv (/əv/).

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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

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "of" sounds like uhv.

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, what turns word-by-word reading into actual conversation. It comes out as uhv.

In real conversation

Hear "of" in the wild.

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

"A banana is a good source of potassium."

uh buh·NA·nuh ihz uh GUUD SORS uhv puh·TA·see·uhm

"A cup of tea."

uh KUHP uhv TEE

"A healthy vine requires plenty of wet soil."

uh HEHL·thee VAHYN ruh·KWAHYRZ PLEHN·tee uhv WEHT SOYL

"A large bar of chocolate is harsh on the heart."

uh LARJ BAR uhv CHAH·kluht ihz HARSH ahn dhuh HART

"A little apple fell right in the middle of the street."

uh LIH·duhl A·puhl FEHL RAHYT ihn dhuh MIH·duhl uhv dhuh STREET

"A lot of people are waiting."

uh LAHT uhv PEE·puhl er WAY·duhng

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

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.

UHV→uhv

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "of" sounds like uhv.

Hear "of" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "of". Start saying it.