http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?awkwar01=awkward If you use this link there is someone pronouncing the word for you. :)

I also checked the link... it's technically correct, but with a very strong USA accent. (Granted, M/W is an American dictionary) In the UK & Australia we don't pronounce it like that. For UK/Oz, think of the word "or" (without the 'r') for the first syllable. This is your 'aw(k)' sound. The stress falls on this syllable. For the vowel sound in "ward", it's a relaxed 'neutral' sound. It's technical name is a 'schwa' and it's written like an upside-down 'e'. Look this up, it's *very* useful when using UK/Oz pronunciations. Also a useful note: when 'r' comes after the vowel in a syllable, most USA styles will pronounce the 'r'. In the UK, it's sometimes, sometimes not: depends on the region you're in. In Australia, a 'final r' is never pronounced; we make the vowel long instead. The good news is, all these pronunciations are recognised. :)