Months come up every day: meetings, deadlines, birthdays, appointments. If someone has to ask “Sorry, which month?” the problem is usually not your vocabulary. It is one sound or one stressed syllable. In her video on the months of the year, Annie Ruden, M.S., CCC-SLP, says each month slowly with an American accent so you can hear exactly where the stress lands. This page gives you the same list in writing, so you can practice ear first, then mouth.
Watch: How to Pronounce the Months of the Year
Listen to the whole video once without speaking. Then play it again and repeat each month right after Annie.
The 12 Months: American English Pronunciation
The CAPITAL letters show the stressed syllable. Say that part a little longer, louder, and higher.
| Month | Say it like | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| January | JAN-yoo-air-ee | 1st syllable |
| February | FEB-yoo-air-ee (or FEB-roo-air-ee) | 1st syllable |
| March | MARCH | one syllable |
| April | AY-prul | 1st syllable |
| May | MAY | one syllable |
| June | JOON | one syllable |
| July | juh-LIE | 2nd syllable |
| August | AW-gust | 1st syllable |
| September | sep-TEM-ber | 2nd syllable |
| October | ok-TOH-ber | 2nd syllable |
| November | noh-VEM-ber | 2nd syllable |
| December | dih-SEM-ber | 2nd syllable |
Where Does the Stress Go?
Here is the pattern that makes the list easy to remember. Most months from January to August are stressed at the beginning. July is the exception: juh-LIE, not JOO-lie. Then September, October, November, and December all stress the second syllable.
Stress matters more than any single sound. If you say SEP-tem-ber with the stress on the first part, listeners have to work harder to find the word. Put the stress in the right place and the month is clear, even if a vowel is not perfect yet. For more on why stress carries meaning, see learning American English rhythm.
Months That Often Need Extra Practice
- January and June: both start with the J sound, like the J in jam. If your first language uses a Y sound for the letter J, practice jam, jar, June until the J feels steady.
- February: both FEB-yoo-air-ee and FEB-roo-air-ee are correct in American English. For the full story on the first R, read how to pronounce February.
- April: the ending is a light “prul,” not a full “pril.” Let the second syllable stay short.
- July: stress the second syllable. Saying JOO-lie can make listeners hear a different word.
- September to December: each one ends in a soft “ber.” Keep the R sound at the end instead of dropping it.
Months in Dates: How Americans Say “October 5th”
In American English, we write October 5 or October 5th, but we say the number as an ordinal: “October fifth.” You may also hear “the fifth of October,” but “October fifth” is the everyday American pattern.
- 1st = first, 2nd = second, 3rd = third. These three have their own words: “June first,” “May second,” “March third.”
- 4th and up add a TH sound: fourth, fifth, sixth, tenth, twelfth, twentieth. “October fifth,” “July fourth,” “December twenty-fifth.”
- 21st, 22nd, 23rd follow the first three: “twenty-first,” “twenty-second,” “twenty-third.”
The TH at the end is voiceless: put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth and let air pass, with no buzz in your throat. If it comes out as “fif” or “fift,” slow down and finish the word with air. For the voiced and voiceless TH sounds, see voiced and voiceless sounds, part 3.
Practice the Months in Sentences
Say each sentence slowly first, then at a normal speaking pace:
- My birthday is in July.
- The project starts in September and ends in December.
- We moved here in January, and I started work in March.
- Is the meeting in October or November?
- My appointment is on October fifth, not the first.
Record yourself, then listen next to Annie’s video. Small, steady practice builds the habit. If you want more everyday words to check, download the 50 most commonly mispronounced words.
3 Easy Tips for Saying the Months Clearly
- Ear first. Listen to all 12 months in the video before you try to say them.
- Find the stress. Beginning for most of January to August, second syllable for July and September to December.
- Use them in sentences. Months live inside dates and plans, so practice them there, not only in a list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce the months of the year in American English?
Say each month with the stress in the right place. Most months from January to August stress the first syllable. July and September to December stress the second syllable: juh-LIE, sep-TEM-ber, ok-TOH-ber, noh-VEM-ber, dih-SEM-ber.
Which month is stressed on the second syllable?
July, September, October, November, and December. All of the other months are stressed at the beginning, and March, May, and June have only one syllable.
Is February pronounced with the R?
Both are correct in American English. FEB-yoo-air-ee is the most common pronunciation, and FEB-roo-air-ee is the more traditional one.
Get Feedback on Your Pronunciation
It is hard to hear your own stress patterns. Pronunciation Pro was designed by speech-language pathologist Annie Ruden, M.S., CCC-SLP, to help you hear the difference and practice it every day. Start your 7-day trial, or see all Pronunciation Pro plans.
