How to pronounce sister in American English

IPA /ˈsɪstər/ Syllables 2 · sih·ster Stress 1st syllable

SIH·ster

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Americans pronounce sister as SIH-ster (/ˈsɪstər/). The R is one continuous sound with the vowel — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch SIH — keep everything else short and quick.

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "sister" sounds like SIH·ster.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, how Americans glue words together so they sound like one phrase. It comes out as SIH·ster.

In real conversation

Hear "sister" in the wild.

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

"He gave his sister the concert tickets."

hee GAYV hihz SIH·ster dhuh KAHN·sert TIH·kuhts

"I need to pick up my sister at three."

ahy NEED tuh PIHK UHP mahy SIH·ster uht THREE

"My sister is a teacher."

mahy SIH·ster ihz uh TEE·cher

"She says her sister is coming to visit."

shee SEHZ her SIH·ster ihz KUH·muhng tuh VIH·zuht

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch SIH — keep everything else short and quick.

sih·STER→SIH·ster

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 "sister" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "SIH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "SIH-ster" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

How do I pronounce the R in "sister"?

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 "sister" 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 "SIH-ster" 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "sister" sounds like SIH·ster.

Hear "sister" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

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