How to pronounce us in American English

IPA /əs/ Syllables 1 · uhs

uhs

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Americans pronounce us as uhs (/əs/).

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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Why it sounds different

Why "us" sounds like uhs.

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, a connected-speech trick that makes phrases flow. It comes out as uhs.

In real conversation

Hear "us" in the wild.

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

"Can you help us out with this project?"

kuhn yoo HEHLP uhs OWT wihth dhihs PRAH·jehkt

"Counting down the hours allowed us to bounce."

KOWN·tuhng DOWN dhee OW·erz uh·LOWD uhs tuh BOWNS

"He isn't coming with us, is he?"

hee IH·zuhnt KUH·muhng wihth uhs ihz hee

"I hope we can put this behind us and move forward together."

ahy HOHP wee kuhn PUUT dhihs buh·HAHYND uhs and MOOV FOR·werd tuh·GEH·dher

"It's time for us to start the meeting."

ihts TAHYM fer uhs tuh START dhuh MEE·duhng

"Let us all gather to celebrate this wonderful achievement."

LEHT uhs AHL GA·dher tuh SEH·luh·brayt dhihs WUHN·der·fuhl uh·CHEEV·muhnt

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

UHS→uhs

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "us" 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 "uhs" 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

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Why "us" sounds like uhs.

Hear "us" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "us". Start saying it.