(Video Transcript)
American English Voice Placement
Hi, I’m Julie with San Diego Voice and Accent, and today we’re going to explore something that affects how you sound in every conversation—your voice placement.
Whether you’re a non-native speaker trying to sound more natural in American English… or a native speaker who wants a warmer, more relaxed tone… this video will help you unlock a more confident, comfortable voice.
We’ll start by understanding what voice placement is, what makes American English sound the way it does, and then we’ll do about ten minutes of voice placement exercises together.
So find a quiet spot, sit or stand tall, and let’s begin.
Voice placement is about where you feel your voice vibrating in your body when you speak.
Some people speak very nasally—you feel the sound buzzing in your nose and face. Others speak from their throat, which can sound tight, strained, or even tired. And others may find that their voice resonants at the front of the lips, with a frontal, almost sharp or crisp sound.
Voice placement is heavily determined by your native language. It’s something that you learned as an infant and a young child as you learned to speak your native language - placement just sort of went along for the ride. So you have to imagine that your speaking muscles have been fine tuned to produce your native language with an overall sound or tone that matches the voices that you grew up listening to and imitating, which for most people are their family and close friends.
The goal of voice placement training—especially in American English—is to find a placement that’s centered, relaxed, and resonant. American English voice placement is balanced between the upper chest and middle of the mouth. To achieve this, you must rely on your breath to support your voice – forward flowing airflow is a key element to American English placement. The voice should feel like it’s vibrating in the upper chest and center of the mouth, without the sensation of pushing or forcing anything.
It’s not about sounding deeper. It’s about letting go of tension and allowing your voice to rest in a more natural, resonant space.
Here’s another way to describe the sound of American English. It has a lazy vibe to it. And I say that as a compliment.
In American English, speakers tend to reduce syllables, smooth out sounds, and drop their pitch at the end of phrases. The placement is often a bit lower and more relaxed, with a little bit of nasality on the nasal consonants and the vowels that come before them—but I would say American English is less nasal than some other accents, and less pressed than, say, British English.
Think about words like:
cool
want
bird
Home
angle
There’s a smoothness to these words. A kind of relaxed hum.
In this video, I’ll help you find that placement—so your speech feels effortless and sounds natural.
Now it’s your turn.
We’re going to walk through several short exercises to shift your voice placement and release tension.
Voice Placement Exercises: Breath and Body Awareness
Start by rolling your shoulders a few times. Release any tension you feel in the upper body.
Drop them. Feel the weight of your body. Let your jaw hang a little, and release any tension in the jaw and chin by lightly massaging these areas.
Now take a slow, deep breath through your nose…and exhale on a gentle sigh.
Again.
This time let your voice come out slightly. Like: ahhhhhh.
Let your voice fall naturally down your pitch range, and focus on the airflow – you want lots of airflow. Open the mouth wide. There shouldn’t be any pushing or squeezing.
We’re warming up the idea of a relaxed voice and a relaxed throat..
Voice Placement Exercises: Gentle Humming
Now close your lips and hum: “hhmmmmm”.
Where do you feel it? In your nose? Cheeks? Lips?
You want to feel vibration in these areas. Try the hum again, and see how much vibration you can feel on your lips.
Hmmmmmmmm
Make sure you add an “h” sound at the beginning of your hum. It should be nice and airy and easy, and adding an “h” at the beginning of the hum will help to establish good airflow.
Now try to shift that feeling lower.
Place your hand on your chest and hum again.
Can you feel the vibration in your chest now?
Try humming while imagining the sound coming from your upper chest
This is the type of vocal resonance we want—not from strain, but from release and airflow.
To check for appropriate airflow while humming, place a finger under your nose and feel for the airflow. You should feel a steady stream of warm air coming out of the nose. The purpose of the humming is airflow, not sound. The airflow is more important.
Complete five more relaxed hums, down your pitch range.
Hmmmmmmm
Voice Placement Exercises: NG Sounds
Now say the word “sing” and hold the NG sound at the end:
Siinnnnnggggg…
You’re not holding out the vowel–it’s not “seeeeeeeeeeng”.
It’s: “sinnnnnnnggggggggg”. Feel the back of the tongue as it comes into contact with the soft palate, and hold it there as you hold out the NG sound.
sinnggggg
Do it gently. Let it the final NG sound hum. Don’t say the G.
It’s not “sinnnngggg-guh”. Don’t pronounce a hard G. Just let the NG sound resonate till the end.
Can you feel the soft palate vibrating? That’s where the back of the tongue is making contact with the back of the mouth. Feel the vibration there; this will help you to relax your voice and get the right vocal balance of American English.
Try these additional NG words for practice:
hung
rung
Sang
rang
Hold the final ng in each.
This helps anchor your voice in the middle of the mouth and back, not just the nose or the throat.
Voice Placement Exercises: American Glides
Now let’s play with diphthongs—those lazy American vowel glides. We’re going to start with the OH diphthong.
Say:
go
no
slow
Let the vowel stretch. Don’t rush it. Feel it slide from /o/ to /ʊ/.
Let your jaw relax as you say it.
Now try the AI diphthong:
my
ride
Time
Smooth, easy transitions. Not tight or clipped.
Imagine you’re a little tired, a little dreamy.
This lazy quality is intentional in American English—it adds flow.
One more diphthong, the OW diphthong.
How
Now
Town
Take your time and allow the jaw and lips to move through the entire diphthong.
Feel your voice go down in pitch, easily and naturally, as you say each word.
Voice Placement Exercises: Chest Voice Anchoring
Say “Mm-hmmm” like you’re agreeing, slowly.
Mm-hmmm
Do it again—“mmm-hmmmm”. Not sharp. Not pressed. It’s a gentle, relaxed, “mmm-hmmm”.
Feel the vibration in your chest and in your lips
Now say “mmm-hmmmmm” and then add on the following words and phrases, being sure to continue the voicing of the “hmmm” as you seamlessly begin the next word.
Mm-hmmmmm–I don’t know…
Mm-hmmmmm–I wanna go.
Mm-hmmmmm–a little while.
Mm-hmmmmmm–in a minute.
All with a slightly lazy drop in pitch.
Let the sound come from your body, not just your mouth.
This is the casual, relaxed rhythm of American English.
Focus on the buzz, the vibration, in the lips and upper chest. And remember, always have forward airflow. Relax the throat and support your voice with good breath support.
Voice Placement Exercises: Real-World Phrases
Repeat after me, and focus on:
Relaxed, open jaw
downward pitch
Chest, lips, and soft palate vibration
no rushing
Lots of airflow
Your voice should also have a lighter quality to it. This isn’t your normal, everyday speaking voice…yet. This is a lighter, more resonant, buzzy voice that you’re going to use as you practice your American English placement.
That’s fine.
I guess so.
I’ll call you later.
Do you wanna go?
I’m not sure.
Whatever works.
Remember to relax the throat and body. The phrases should feel easy and effortless – no tension, no squeezing in the throat or mouth.
Let’s bring it all together.
Voice placement isn’t about changing who you are.
It’s about giving your voice a place to rest—so it sounds natural, expressive, relaxed, and confident.
If this video helped you, please hit that subscribe button and add a comment below. What did you notice about your voice before and after you completed these exercises? Did your voice become more relaxed? Louder? Softer? Smoother? How would you describe it? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!
Online English Training: English Pro
And if you want even more voice training and receive one-on-one coaching on your voice placement, then enroll in my comprehensive online training program called English Pro. You’ll receive training in all areas of the American accent and voice placement - the vowels, consonants, intonation, stress, reductions, vocabulary, and voice placement that native speakers are using in their everyday conversations. Plus, all students of English Pro can volunteer to work with me, one on one, during weekly live English classes, where I’ll give you feedback on your specific speaking patterns. So check out the description below to learn more about how we can work together to help you reach your English speaking goals.
Exclusive Practice Content on YouTube
Oh, and one more thing: If you want exclusive practice videos that you can watch here on my channel, then join my channel now and become a member. I upload new practice videos and audio lessons to my YouTube channel every month, and these are for YouTube members only, so click the “join” button below so you can start learning with this exclusive practice content.
Thanks so much for watching, and happy practicing!
