p/p/
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How to pronounce priority in American English
prahy·OR·uh·tee
Start here
Americans pronounce priority as prahy-OR-uh-tee (/praɪˈɔrəɾi/). In "priority", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. This is called the Flap T, a hallmark of natural-sounding American speech. It comes out as prahy·OR·uh·tee. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Her top priority is to finish school" or "Her career in marketing is her first priority" — more examples below.
Now you try.
Record yourself saying "priority" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.
Sound by sound
Every sound in "priority".
4 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
ahy/aɪ/
Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.
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.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
t/t/
FlapQuickly bounce the front of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Don't stop the airflow — just a quick tap.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
In real conversation
Hear "priority" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
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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
Saying a hard "T" in the middle.
In "priority", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. /t/ or /d/ becomes a quick tap [ɾ] — sounds like a soft D. The tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth.
prahy-OR-uh-tee→prahy·OR·uh·tee
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch OR — keep everything else short and quick.
PRAHY·or·UH·TEE→prahy·OR·uh·tee
03
Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the second syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
prahy·OR·UH·tee→prahy·OR·uh·tee
04
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 "priority" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "OR" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "prahy-OR-uh-tee" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why doesn't the T sound like a T in "priority"?
In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "priority" sounds closer to "prahy-OR-uh-tee" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.
Why does the third syllable in "priority" 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 "prahy-OR-uh-tee" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "priority"?
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.
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