How to pronounce reduce in American English

IPA /rəˈdus/ Syllables 2 · ruh·doos Stress 2nd syllable

ruh·DOOS

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Americans pronounce reduce as ruh-DOOS (/rəˈdus/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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Why it sounds different

Why "reduce" sounds like ruh·DOOS.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, what turns word-by-word reading into actual conversation. It comes out as ruh·DOOS.

In real conversation

Hear "reduce" in the wild.

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

"He drives an electric car to reduce air pollution."

hee DRAHYVZ uhn uh·LEHK·truhk KAR tuh ruh·DOOS AIR puh·LOO·shuhn

"I paid down the principal on my loan to reduce future interest."

ahy PAYD DOWN dhuh PRIHN·suh·puhl ahn mahy LOHN tuh ruh·DOOS FYOO·cher IHN·tuh·ruhst

"She added insulation to the attic to reduce the heating costs."

shee A·duhd ihn·suh·LAY·shuhn tuh dhee A·duhk tuh ruh·DOOS dhuh HEE·duhng KAHSTS

"She practices breathing exercises every evening to reduce stress and anxiety."

shee PRAK·tuh·suhz BREE·dhuhng EHK·ser·sahy·zuhz EHV·ree EEV·nuhng tuh ruh·DOOS STREHS uhnd ang·ZAHY·uh·tee

"She runs on the elliptical machine to reduce impact on her knees."

shee RUHNZ ahn dhee uh·LIHP·tuh·kuhl muh·SHEEN tuh ruh·DOOS IHM·pakt ahn her NEEZ

"The agreement aims to reduce carbon emissions by fifty percent."

dhee uh·GREE·muhnt AYMZ tuh ruh·DOOS KAR·buhn uh·MIH·shuhnz bahy FIHF·tee per·SEHNT

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 second syllable, not the others. Stretch DOOS — keep everything else short and quick.

RUH·doos→ruh·DOOS

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

RUH·DOOS→ruh·DOOS

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "reduce" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the first syllable in "reduce" 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 "ruh-DOOS" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "reduce" sounds like ruh·DOOS.

Hear "reduce" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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