How to pronounce showed in American English

IPA /ʃoʊd/ Syllables 1 · shohd Stress 1st syllable

SHOHD

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Americans pronounce showed as SHOHD (/ʃoʊd/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "showed", the "" 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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Why it sounds different

Why "showed" sounds like SHOHD.

In "showed", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as SHOHD.

In real conversation

Hear "showed" in the wild.

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

"He showed remarkable resilience despite facing numerous setbacks."

hee SHOHD ruh·MAR·kuh·buhl ruh·ZIHL·yuhns duh·SPAHYT FAY·suhng NOO·muh·ruhs SEHT·baks

"She showed the shiny shoe to the shop."

shee SHOHD dhuh SHAHY·nee shoo tuh dhuh SHAHP

"The control group showed no significant changes during the study."

dhuh kuhn·TROHL GROOP SHOHD NOH suhg·NIH·fuh·kuhnt CHAYN·juhz DUUR·uhng dhuh STUH·dee

"The highlight reel showed the best moments of the game."

dhuh HAHY·lahyt REEL SHOHD dhuh BEHST MOH·muhnts uhv dhuh GAYM

"They lost the game but showed great sportsmanship."

dhay LAHST dhuh GAYM buht SHOHD GRAYT SPORTS·muhn·shihp

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 "showed", the "" 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.

showed→SHOHD

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

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

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "showed" sounds like SHOHD.

Hear "showed" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Questions people ask about this.

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