How to pronounce revenue in American English
REH·vuh·noo
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Americans pronounce revenue as REH-vuh-noo (/ˈrɛvəˌnu/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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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 REH — keep everything else short and quick.
reh·VUH·NOO→REH·vuh·NOO
02
Pronouncing the unstressed 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.
REH·VUH·noo→REH·vuh·NOO
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "revenue" 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-vuh-noo" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why does the second syllable in "revenue" 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 "REH-vuh-noo" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.
Is the American pronunciation of "revenue" 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-vuh-noo" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.