k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
How to pronounce quickly in American English
KWIH·klee
Start here
Americans pronounce quickly as KWIH-klee (/ˈkwɪkli/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The singer forgot the lyrics but recovered quickly" or "The seasons change quickly in this part of the country" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "quickly".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
w/w/
Round your lips into a tight circle. Lift the back of your tongue toward the soft palate and add voice.
ih/ɪ/
Drop your jaw slightly with relaxed lips. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and arch the top-front toward the roof.
k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
l/l/
Place the tip of your tongue against the alveolar ridge just behind your top front teeth, the same contact point as /t/, /d/, and /n/. The difference is what happens to the air: for /l/, you let it flow continuously around the <em>sides</em> of the tongue (that's why /l/ is called a lateral). Turn your voice on the whole time. Lips stay relaxed, no rounding or flaring. For the Dark L variant at the end of a syllable, also pull the back of the tongue up and back toward the soft palate.
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 "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
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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
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.
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