How to pronounce sent in American English

IPA /sɛnt/ Syllables 1 · sehnt Stress 1st syllable

SEHNT

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Americans pronounce sent as SEHNT (/sɛnt/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Did you get the message I sent?" or "She shouldn't have sent that email" — more examples below.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "sent", the "t" 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.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "sent".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

s/s/

Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.

eh/ɛ/

Drop your jaw moderately. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and lift the mid-front part slightly toward the roof.

n/n/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.

t/t/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Keep your jaw relaxed. Stop the air, then release with a puff.

In real conversation

Hear "sent" in the wild.

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

"Did you get the email I sent this morning?"

dihd yoo GEHT dhee EE·mayl ahy SEHNT dhihs MOR·nuhng

"Did you get the message I sent?"

dihd yoo GEHT dhuh MEH·suhj ahy SEHNT

"Did you get the text message I sent?"

dihd yoo GEHT dhuh TEHKST MEH·suhj ahy SEHNT

"Every member of the senate sent a separate message."

EHV·ree MEHM·ber uhv dhuh SEH·nuht SEHNT uh SEH·per·uht MEH·suhj

"She sent me an email with all the details."

shee SEHNT mee uhn EE·mayl wihth AHL dhuh DEE·taylz

"She shouldn't have sent that email."

shee SHUU·duhnt huhv SEHNT dhat EE·mayl

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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.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "sent", the "t" 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.

sent→SEHNT

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Every sound in "sent".

Hear "sent" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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