r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
How to pronounce regarding in American English
ruh·GAR·duhng
Start here
Americans pronounce regarding as ruh-GAR-duhng (/rəˈgɑrdɪŋ/). In "regarding", 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, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. So instead of ruh·GAR·tuhng, you get ruh·GAR·duhng. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter" or "He filed a complaint regarding the violation of his privacy" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "regarding".
3 syllables, 7 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
g/g/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate. Add vocal cord vibration, then release.
ar/ɑr/
Open wide for the 'ah' vowel. Lift the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
d/d/
FlapQuickly bounce the front of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Same as Flap T — a quick tap without stopping airflow.
uh/ʌ/
Relax your lips, jaw, and tongue completely. Drop your jaw slightly and keep the tongue neutral.
ng/ŋ/
Lift the back of your tongue to the soft palate. Lower your soft palate to let air flow through your nose.
In real conversation
Hear "regarding" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"He filed a complaint regarding the violation of his privacy."
hee FAHYLD uh kuhm·PLAYNT ruh·GAR·duhng dhuh vahy·uh·LAY·shuhn uhv hihz PRAHY·vuh·see
"I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter."
ahy LUUK FOR·werd tuh HEER·uhng fruhm yoo ruh·GAR·duhng dhihs MA·der
"The president addressed the nation regarding the economic crisis."
dhuh PREH·zuh·duhnt uh·DREHST dhuh NAY·shuhn ruh·GAR·duhng dhee eh·kuh·NAH·muhk KRAHY·suhs
"The proposal addresses most of our concerns regarding pricing."
dhuh pruh·POH·zuhl uh·DREH·suhz MOHST uhv owr kuhn·SURNZ ruh·GAR·duhng PRAHY·suhng
"We need to address some concerns regarding your attendance record."
wee NEED tuh uh·DREHS suhm kuhn·SURNZ ruh·GAR·duhng yer uh·TEHN·duhns REH·kerd
"We need to follow up with the client regarding their feedback."
wee NEED tuh FAH·loh UHP wihth dhuh KLAHY·uhnt ruh·GAR·duhng dhair FEED·bak
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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
Saying a hard "T" in the middle.
In "regarding", 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.
ruh-GAR-tuhng→ruh·GAR·duhng
02
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch GAR — keep everything else short and quick.
RUH·gar·DUHNG→ruh·GAR·duhng
03
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·GAR·duhng→ruh·GAR·duhng
04
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "regarding" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "GAR" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ruh-GAR-duhng" 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 "regarding"?
In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "regarding" sounds closer to "ruh-GAR-duhng" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.
Why does the first syllable in "regarding" 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-GAR-duhng" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
How do I pronounce the R in "regarding"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
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