study

IPA /ˈstʌdi/ Syllables 2 · stuh·dee Stress 1st syllable
STUH·dee
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Americans pronounce study as STUH-dee (/ˈstʌdi/). The T between vowels softens into a quick D-like flap, so it sounds closer to a D than a crisp T. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Common mistakes

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

In "study", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. /t/ or /d/ becomes a quick tap [ɾ] — sounds like a soft D. The tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "study" sounds like STUH·dee.

In "study", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. This is called the Flap T, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. So instead of STUH·tee, you get STUH·dee.

In real conversation

Hear "study" in the wild.

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

"Anatomy is the study of the structure of the human body."
uh·NA·tuh·mee ihz dhuh STUH·dee uhv dhuh STRUHK·cher uhv dhuh HYOO·muhn BAH·dee
"Developing effective study techniques requires consistent discipline and motivation."
duh·VEH·luh·puhng uh·FEHK·tuhv STUH·dee tehk·NEEKS ruh·KWAHYRZ kuhn·SIH·stuhnt DIH·suh·pluhn and moh·duh·VAY·shuhn
"Geologists study the composition and structure of the earth's crust."
jee·AH·luh·juhsts STUH·dee dhuh kahm·puh·ZIH·shuhn and STRUHK·cher uhv dhee URTHS KRUHST
"He conducted interviews as part of his qualitative research study."
hee kuhn·DUHK·tuhd IHN·ter·vyooz uhz PART uhv hihz KWAH·luh·tay·duhv REE·surch STUH·dee
"I have to study for my math class."
ahy hav tuh STUH·dee fer mahy MATH KLAS
"I need to review the study guide before the test next week."
ahy NEED tuh ruh·VYOO dhuh STUH·dee GAHYD buh·FOR dhuh TEHST NEHKST WEEK
Same pattern

Words that work the same way.

All of these share phonetic features with this word — same trick.

KUH·stuh·deecustodySTAY·dee·uhmstadiumSTEH·duh·leesteadilySTUH·deedstudiedSTUH·deezstudiesSTUH·dee·uhngstudyingSTEH·deesteadySTOO·dee·OHstudio
Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

01

Saying a hard "T" in the middle.

In "study", the "t" between vowels sounds like a quick "d" — the tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth. /t/ or /d/ becomes a quick tap [ɾ] — sounds like a soft D. The tongue briefly taps the ridge behind the upper teeth.

STUH-tee→STUH·dee
02

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

stuh·DEE→STUH·dee
Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "study" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "STUH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "STUH-dee" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Why doesn't the T sound like a T in "study"?
In American English, when /t/ sits between two vowels with the second one unstressed, it turns into a quick D-like flap. So "study" sounds closer to "STUH-dee" than to a crisp-T pronunciation. This is the flap-T rule, one of the most distinctive sounds of casual American speech.
Is the American pronunciation of "study" 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 "STUH-dee" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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