How to pronounce ready in American English

IPA /ˈrɛdi/ Syllables 2 · reh·dee Stress 1st syllable

REH·dee

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Americans pronounce ready as REH-dee (/ˈrɛdi/). The T between vowels softens into a quick D-like flap, so it sounds closer to a D than a crisp T. 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%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

In "ready", 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.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "ready" sounds like REH·dee.

In "ready", 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 small move that separates 'classroom' from 'native'. So instead of REH·tee, you get REH·dee.

In real conversation

Hear "ready" in the wild.

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

"Are you ready to order your food?"

er yuh REH·dee tuh OR·der yer FOOD

"Are you sure you're ready to order?"

ar yoo SHUUR yor REH·dee tuh OR·der

"Is his presentation ready for tomorrow?"

ihz hihz preh·zuhn·TAY·shuhn REH·dee fer tuh·MAH·roh

"Ready to ride."

REH·dee tuh RAHYD

"The band is getting ready for the next set."

dhuh BAND ihz GEH·duhng REH·dee fer dhuh NEHKST SEHT

"The soup is almost ready; I just need to adjust the seasoning."

dhuh SOOP ihz AHL·mohst REH·dee ahy juhst NEED tuh uh·JUHST dhuh SEE·zuh·nuhng

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

REH-tee→REH·dee

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

reh·DEE→REH·dee

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "ready" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "REH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "REH-dee" 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 "ready"?

In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "ready" sounds closer to "REH-dee" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.

Is the American pronunciation of "ready" 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 "REH-dee" 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

Common mistakes

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "ready" sounds like REH·dee.

Hear "ready" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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