How to pronounce postpone in American English

IPA /poʊˈspoʊn/ Syllables 2 · poh·spohn Stress 2nd syllable

poh·SPOHN

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Americans pronounce postpone as poh-SPOHN (/poʊˈspoʊn/). 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

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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "postpone" sounds like poh·SPOHN.

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, a tiny act of laziness that makes the rhythm feel right. It comes out as poh·SPOHN.

In real conversation

Hear "postpone" in the wild.

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"I am afraid I need to postpone our dinner due to a prior commitment."

ahy uhm uh·FRAYD ahy NEED tuh poh·SPOHN owr DIH·ner DOO tuh uh PRAHY·er kuh·MIHT·muhnt

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 second syllable, not the others. Stretch SPOHN — keep everything else short and quick.

POH·spohn→poh·SPOHN

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "postpone" stressed in American English?

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

Is the American pronunciation of "postpone" 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 "poh-SPOHN" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "postpone" sounds like poh·SPOHN.

Hear "postpone" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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