How to pronounce office in American English

IPA /ˈɑfəs/ Syllables 2 · ah·fuhs Stress 1st syllable

AH·fuhs

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Americans pronounce office as AH-fuhs (/ˈɑfəs/). 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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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch AH — 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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "office" sounds like AH·fuhs.

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, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as AH·fuhs.

In real conversation

Hear "office" in the wild.

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

"I bought a small pot for the new office plant."

ahy BAHT uh SMAHL PAHT fer dhuh noo AH·fuhs PLANT

"I have to go to the post office."

ahy haf tuh GOH tuh dhuh POHST AH·fuhs

"I left my laptop at the office."

ahy LEHFT mahy LAP·tahp uht dhee AH·fuhs

"I need to go to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store."

ahy NEED tuh GOH tuh dhuh BANGK dhuh POHST AH·fuhs and dhuh GROH·suh·ree STOR

"I renewed my driver's license at the motor vehicle office."

ahy ruh·NOOD mahy DRAHY·verz LAHY·suhns uht dhuh MOH·der VEE·uh·kuhl AH·fuhs

"I think his office is on the third floor."

ahy thihngk hihz AH·fuhs ihz ahn dhuh thurd flor

Watch out

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 AH — keep everything else short and quick.

ah·FUHS→AH·fuhs

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.

AH·FUHS→AH·fuhs

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "office" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the second syllable in "office" 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 "AH-fuhs" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "office" 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 "AH-fuhs" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Why "office" sounds like AH·fuhs.

Hear "office" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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