p/p/
Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.
How to pronounce performed in American English
per·FORMD
Start here
Americans pronounce performed as per-FORMD (/pərˈfɔrmd/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The pilot performed a perfect loop in the plane" or "The skater performed a triple axel jump perfectly" — more examples below.
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Record yourself saying "performed" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.
Sound by sound
Every sound in "performed".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
er/ər/
Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.
f/f/
Lift your bottom lip to touch the very bottom of your top front teeth. Blow air through this contact point without voicing.
or/ɔr/
Start with the 'aw' jaw drop and rounded lips. Pull the tongue back and up while keeping the lips rounded for the R.
m/m/
Press your lips together. Air flows through your nose. Vocal cords vibrate.
d/d/
Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Add vocal cord vibration as you release.
In real conversation
Hear "performed" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"He wrote a one-act play that was performed at the fringe festival."
hee ROHT uh wuhn AKT PLAY dhuht wuhz per·FORMD uht dhuh FRIHNJ FEH·stuh·vuhl
"The magic trick he performed amazed everyone at the party."
dhuh MA·juhk TRIHK hee per·FORMD uh·MAYZD EHV·ree·wuhn uht dhuh PAR·tee
"The methodology section describes how the experiment was performed."
dhuh meh·thuh·DAH·luh·jee SEHK·shuhn duh·SKRAHYBZ HOW dhee ihk·SPEH·ruh·muhnt wuhz per·FORMD
"The orchestra performed a beautiful symphony by Beethoven."
dhee OR·kuh·struh per·FORMD uh BYOO·tuh·fuhl SIHM·fuh·nee bahy BAY·toh·vuhn
"The pilot performed a perfect loop in the plane."
dhuh PAHY·luht per·FORMD uh PUR·fuhkt LOOP ihn dhuh PLAYN
"The skater performed a triple axel jump perfectly."
dhuh SKAY·der per·FORMD uh TRIH·puhl AK·suhl JUHMP PUR·fuhkt·lee
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "performed", the "d" 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.
performed→per·FORMD
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch FORMD — keep everything else short and quick.
PER·formd→per·FORMD
03
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "performed" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "FORMD" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "per-FORMD" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "performed"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
Is the American pronunciation of "performed" 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 "per-FORMD" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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