How to pronounce quickly in American English

IPA /ˈkwɪkli/ Syllables 2 · kwih·klee Stress 1st syllable

KWIH·klee

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Americans pronounce quickly as KWIH-klee (/ˈkwɪkli/). 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

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 first syllable, not the others. Stretch KWIH — keep everything else short and quick.

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Why it sounds different

Why "quickly" sounds like KWIH·klee.

Between "" and "", a brief "" glide bridges the two vowels for smooth flow. This is called the Vowel-to-Vowel Linking, how Americans glue words together so they sound like one phrase. It comes out as KWIH·klee.

In real conversation

Hear "quickly" in the wild.

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

"Bamboo grows very quickly and is used for many purposes."

bam·BOO grohz VEH·ree KWIH·klee and ihz yoozd fer MEH·nee PUR·puh·suhz

"Can you believe how quickly this year has gone by already?"

kan yoo buh·LEEV HOW KWIH·klee dhihs YEER huhz GAHN bahy ahl·REH·dee

"He recovered quickly from the surgery thanks to physical therapy."

hee ruh·KUH·verd KWIH·klee fruhm dhuh SUR·juh·ree THANGKS tuh FIH·zuh·kuhl THEH·ruh·pee

"I always bring a jacket because the weather can change quickly."

ahy AHL·wayz BRIHNG uh JA·kuht buh·KUHZ dhuh WEH·dher kuhn CHAYNJ KWIH·klee

"I shower quickly on weekdays but take my time on weekends."

ahy SHOW·er KWIH·klee ahn WEEK·dayz buht TAYK mahy TAHYM ahn WEE·kehndz

"I want to emphasize the importance of acting quickly on this opportunity."

ahy WAHNT tuh EHM·fuh·sahyz dhee ihm·POR·tuhns uhv AK·tuhng KWIH·klee ahn dhihs ah·per·TOO·nuh·tee

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 KWIH — keep everything else short and quick.

kwih·KLEE→KWIH·klee

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "quickly" stressed in American English?

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

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

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "quickly" sounds like KWIH·klee.

Hear "quickly" 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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