How to pronounce past in American English

IPA /pæst/ Syllables 1 · past Stress 1st syllable

PAST

Start here

Americans pronounce past as PAST (/pæst/).

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "past" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "past", 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.

Unlock the full report in the app

Why it sounds different

Why "past" sounds like PAST.

In "past", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as PAST.

In real conversation

Hear "past" in the wild.

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

"He reviewed past exams to prepare for the upcoming final."

hee ree·VYOOD PAST uhg·ZAMZ tuh pruh·PAIR fer dhee UHP·kuh·muhng FAHY·nuhl

"I have been feeling under the weather for the past few days."

ahy hav bihn FEE·luhng UHN·der dhuh WEH·dher fer dhuh PAST FYOO DAYZ

"Income inequality has widened considerably over the past decades."

IHN·kuhm uhn·uh·KWAH·luh·dee huhz WAHY·duhnd kuhn·SIH·der·uh·blee OH·ver dhuh PAST DEH·kaydz

"It has been raining nonstop for the past three days."

iht huhz bihn RAY·nuhng nahn·STAHP fer dhuh PAST THREE DAYZ

"She practiced past exam questions to prepare for test formats."

shee PRAK·tuhst PAST uhg·ZAM KWEHS·chuhnz tuh pruh·PAIR fer TEHST FOR·mats

"She prefers reading historical fiction to learn about the past."

shee pruh·FURZ REE·duhng huh·STOR·uh·kuhl FIHK·shuhn tuh LURN uh·BOWT dhuh PAST

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 "past", 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.

past→PAST

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

Now you try.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "past" sounds like PAST.

Hear "past" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "past". Start saying it.