How to pronounce rays in American English

IPA /reɪz/ Syllables 1 · rayz Stress 1st syllable

RAYZ

Start here

Americans pronounce rays as RAYZ (/reɪz/).

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "rays" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

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

Unlock the full report in the app

In real conversation

Hear "rays" in the wild.

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

"The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays."

dhee OH·zohn LAY·er pruh·TEHKTS uhs fruhm HARM·fuhl uhl·truh·VAHY·uh·luht RAYZ

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

Now you try.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Hear "rays" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "rays". Start saying it.