How to pronounce shaky in American English
SHAY·kee
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Americans pronounce shaky as SHAY-kee (/ˈʃeɪki/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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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 SHAY — keep everything else short and quick.
shay·KEE→SHAY·kee
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "shaky" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "SHAY" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "SHAY-kee" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "shaky" 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 "SHAY-kee" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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