How to pronounce withdrew in American English

IPA /wɪθˈdru/ Syllables 2 · wihth·droo Stress 2nd syllable

wihth·DROO

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Americans pronounce withdrew as wihth-DROO (/wɪθˈdru/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Saying a clean "dr" instead of a "j" sound.

In "withdrew", the "dr" cluster blends into a "jr" sound — a natural American English pronunciation. /d/ shifts toward /dʒ/ ("j"), so DR sounds like "jr".

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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Why it sounds different

Why "withdrew" sounds like wihth·DROO.

In "withdrew", the "dr" cluster blends into a "jr" sound — a natural American English pronunciation. This is called the DR Sounds Like JR, and it's why Americans sound more relaxed than the textbook. It comes out as wihth·DROO.

In real conversation

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"I withdrew funds from my retirement account for a qualified expense."

ahy wihth·DROO FUHNDZ fruhm mahy ruh·TAHY·er·muhnt uh·KOWNT fer uh KWAH·luh·fahyd uhk·SPEHNS

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Saying a clean "dr" instead of a "j" sound.

In "withdrew", the "dr" cluster blends into a "jr" sound — a natural American English pronunciation. /d/ shifts toward /dʒ/ ("j"), so DR sounds like "jr".

wihth-DROO→wihth·DROO

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

WIHTH·droo→wihth·DROO

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "withdrew" stressed in American English?

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

Is the American pronunciation of "withdrew" 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 "wihth-DROO" 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

Saying a clean "dr" instead of a "j" sound.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Why "withdrew" sounds like wihth·DROO.

Hear "withdrew" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Saying a clean "dr" instead of a "j" sound.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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