how do you pronunce the word in American accent? I've been confused about the American pronunciation of the word " happy" , I mean I'm NOT quite sure how to pronunce the end of the word HAPPY ( ppy )

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echofloating

how do you pronunce the word in American accent? I've been confused about the American pronunciation of the word " happy" , I mean I'm NOT quite sure how to pronunce the end of the word HAPPY ( ppy ) . Could any American friends tell me: 1. If it sounds like " happee" ( same "ee" as in the word " sheep") 2. If it sounds like " habbee" ( same "ee " as in the "word "sheep") 3. If it sounds like " happi " ( same "i" as in the word " ship ") 4. If it sounds like " habbi " ( same " i" as in the word " ship" ) I would like to know which pronunciation is most commonly used in your daily life . Thank you so much.

Mar 11, 2017 12:21 AM

Answers · 13

While it's definitely an English "p" (unvoiced) instead of an English "b" (voiced), remember that the puff of breath after a "p" is much weaker in English than it is in Chinese. English "p"s are even weaker in the middle of a word. Since Chinese "b"s are unvoiced, the sound you want to make here is closer to the Chinese "b" than the Chinese "p". If you say a Chinese "p" in "happy", it will sound very strange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYWu9QH7zHw

March 11, 2017

Number one is the correct way :)

March 11, 2017

Gareth's right - it's a very straightforward pronunciation. By the way, it NEVER has a "b" sound. I think the difficult part is that the "y" is a long vowel but at the same time it's a weak syllable. Don't think about it too much. Just listen and copy what you hear.

March 11, 2017

#1 is correct, but there is a lot of stress on HAP, and the "-pee" part is very short, very light, very soft. It is not a long, clear, singing vowel. ahdictionary.org, as I expected, shows only one pronunciation, and the e on the end is written ē, indicating the "long e" or -ee sound. And it is definitely a P and not a B. When you say "happy" there is a definite puff of air on the "p."

March 11, 2017

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