s/s/
Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.
How to pronounce sanctuaries in American English
SANGK·choo·air·eez
Start here
Americans pronounce sanctuaries as SANGK-choo-air-eez (/ˈsæŋktʃuˌɛriz/). In "sanctuaries", the "a" vowel before NG shifts toward "ay" — sounding like "ay" as in "say", a distinctly American pattern — most prominent in Midwestern American English; other GenAm speakers may use a less raised vowel. This is called the Cat-Vowel Before NG, the kind of sound shift that makes everyday speech feel effortless. It comes out as SANGK·choo·AIR·eez. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "He advocates for the protection of marine sanctuaries".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "sanctuaries".
4 syllables, 9 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
a/æ/
Nasalized-ngBefore NG, the vowel changes to sound more like the AY (/eɪ/) diphthong. The middle part of the tongue lifts toward the roof of the mouth, then the front part arches up.
ng/ŋ/
Lift the back of your tongue to the soft palate. Lower your soft palate to let air flow through your nose.
k/k/
Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum). Stop the air, then release.
ch/tʃ/
Touch the front of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then release into a 'sh' position. Flare your lips.
oo/u/
Round your lips into a tight circle. Let your tongue rest in the middle of your mouth, slightly raised.
air/ɛr/
Start with the 'eh' vowel mouth position. Pull the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
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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
Pronouncing the vowel before NG too pure.
In "sanctuaries", the "a" vowel before NG shifts toward "ay" — sounding like "ay" as in "say", a distinctly American pattern — most prominent in Midwestern American English; other GenAm speakers may use a less raised vowel. Vowel changes to sound like /eɪ/ ("ay" as in "say").
SANGK-choo-air-eez→SANGK·choo·AIR·eez
02
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "sanctuaries", the "k" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.
sanctuaries→SANGK·choo·AIR·eez
03
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch SANGK — keep everything else short and quick.
sangk·CHOO·AIR·EEZ→SANGK·choo·AIR·eez
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 "sanctuaries" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "SANGK" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "SANGK-choo-air-eez" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
How do I pronounce the R in "sanctuaries"?
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.
Is the American pronunciation of "sanctuaries" 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 "SANGK-choo-air-eez" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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