In casual American English, "The duty of the jury is to review the feud" sounds like "dhuh DOO-dee uhv dhuh JUUR-ee ihz tuh ruh-VYOO dhuh FYOOD". Several things happen here, and the headline one is the Flap T: the T between vowels turns into a quick D-like flap. Keep stressed words long, unstressed words short, and link the consonants forward into the vowels.
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What makes this sentence sound American.
In "duty", 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. It comes out as DOO-dee.
What's happening in this sentence.
Small tricks that turn a textbook sentence into how an American actually says it.
Tap any word for its full breakdown.
Each word has its own page with examples, common mistakes, and related words.
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
Saying a hard "T" in the middle.
In "duty", 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.
Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.
In "feud", 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.
Leaving a gap between two vowels.
Between "" and "", a brief "" glide bridges the two vowels for smooth flow. A brief glide (y or w) bridges two vowels for smooth flow.
Pronouncing the function word too fully.
"the" is a function word — in connected speech, the full vowel reduces to a quick "" sound and consonants may simplify. Full vowel reduces to schwa /ə/ or other weak vowel. Consonants may simplify.