How to pronounce "cup" in English
kʌp
KUHP
Primary stress: KUHP
Hear native speakers say cup in context across real video clips
Now the important thing to remember about flex fuel is, a flex fuel car is like your cup of coffee. You can mix any amount of coffee and milk that you want. You can drink your coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But
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Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “cup”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
KUHP
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
As a single-syllable word, "cup" receives full primary stress when spoken in isolation, though it may take a reduced weak form in connected speech when acting as a function word.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Single-syllable words like "cup" carry primary acoustic prominence in isolation, but can be swallowed in rapid connected speech.
How Native Speakers Say It: Sustain vowel clarity without rushing into the trailing consonant. Elevate pitch slightly when "cup" carries the primary contrast or new information in a sentence.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "cup" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "cup is" sounds like "cup-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "cup" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“cup of coffee. You can mix any amount of coffee and milk that you want. You can drink your coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“cup be like a world cup right level team so are we gonna see that first or um a”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“cup if I'm not my best self what am I giving to you guys I'm giving you leftovers and she's saying that it's not that the kids are second on my list because I don't care about them and”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“cup he has to he has to to do three tests the first test is uh uh uh”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“cup Etc but you know we don't talk about that stuff I mean sure it's fun you know”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“cup of coffee in the freezer, you know, it won't stay hot.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “cup”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
cup of coffee. You can mix any amount of coffee and milk that you want. You can drink your coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But
Hear it in context: “cup”
12,533 clipsThe English word “cup” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as kʌp (phonetic respelling: KUHP). Phonologically, it consists of 1 syllable (KUHP), pronounced as a single stressed monosyllable. Grammatically, “cup” functions as a noun, verb and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 12,533 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “cup” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @39:55
“Now the important thing to remember about flex fuel is, a flex fuel car is like your cup of coffee. You can mix any amount of coffee and milk that you want. You can drink your coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can have a lot of milk. But”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @75:10
“uh world basically was the goal to beat world champion team to become a world cup be like a world cup right level team so are we gonna see that first or um a are we gonna see that first or um a”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @85:24
“validate and agree with that she was like but if I don't fill my own bottle if I don't film my own cup if I'm not my best self what am I giving to you guys I'm giving you leftovers and she's saying that it's not that the kids are second on my list because I don't care about them and saying that it's not that the kids are second on my list because I don't care about them and”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @2:14
“brilliantly done by Spielberg is um before he can get to the cup he has to he has to to do three tests the first test is uh uh uh um to show courage or something like that then to understand the name of God.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @1:21
“won a lot of medals at the Great American Beer Festival the world beer cup Etc but you know we don't talk about that stuff I mean sure it's fun you know and and and we like it but you know I think it kind of confuses the issue I”
Definition & Meaning: “cup”
- A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
- The contents of said vessel.
- To form into the shape of a cup, particularly of the hands.
- To hold something in cupped hands.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Pour the tea into the cup.”
- “I drank two cups of water but still felt thirsty.”
- “cup of coffee. You can mix any amount of coffee and milk that you want. You can drink your coffee black like I do; you can have a little bit of milk; you can ha”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “cup”
- Pronunciation:
- KUHP
- Syllables:
- KUHP
- Written Hyphenation:
- cup
- Primary stress:
- KUHP
- IPA:
- kʌp
- Hear it in context
- cup
Words that Rhyme with “cup”
-ʌpWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"cup" (⁄kʌp⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "cup" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about cup
How do you pronounce “cup”?
“cup” is pronounced ⁄kʌp⁄ (KUHP). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
Where is the stress in “cup”?
The primary stress in “cup” is on “KUHP”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “cup” mean?
A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
How can I hear “cup” used in real sentences?
This page has 12533 real-world video examples of “cup” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “cup”?
Single-syllable words like "cup" carry primary acoustic prominence in isolation, but can be swallowed in rapid connected speech. Sustain vowel clarity without rushing into the trailing consonant. Elevate pitch slightly when "cup" carries the primary contrast or new information in a sentence.