The -et ending has three pronunciations in American English, and stress tells you which one to use. Unstressed -et is a short, light /ɪt/ (pocket, ticket); stressed -et is a full /ɛt/ (forget, regret); and in French loanwords like ballet and buffet, the t is silent and the ending is /eɪ/.
This means you rarely need to memorize -et words one by one. Find the stress, ask yourself whether the word looks French, and the ending takes care of itself. Below you will find the logic behind the rule, the main patterns, the exceptions that trip people up, the typical learner mistakes, and plenty of practice.
The Rule in Three Lines
- Unstressed -et = /ɪt/. Many Americans say it even more lightly, as /ət/. This is by far the most common case: pocket /ˈpɑkɪt/, ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/, market /ˈmɑrkɪt/.
- Stressed -et = /ɛt/. The vowel of bed: forget /fɚˈɡɛt/, regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/, upset /ʌpˈsɛt/, plus every one-syllable word like bet, get, net, set and wet.
- French loanwords: -et = /eɪ/, with a silent t. Usually stressed at the end: ballet /bæˈleɪ/, buffet /bəˈfeɪ/, bouquet /boʊˈkeɪ/.
Why It Works: The Logic Behind -et
Unstressed vowels shrink
English gives stressed syllables time and energy; unstressed syllables get squeezed. When -et is not stressed, its vowel shrinks to a quick /ɪ/ or a schwa /ə/. That is why pocket is not "pock" plus a clear "et." It sounds more like POCK-it, and ticket sounds like TICK-it. Both /ˈpɑkɪt/ and /ˈpɑkət/ are normal in the US; what matters is that the second syllable is short, quiet and low in pitch.
When the letter before -et is a vowel (quiet, diet, poet, violet), the ending is almost always a schwa: quiet /ˈkwaɪət/, poet /ˈpoʊət/. There is no full /ɛ/ in any of these words.
Stressed vowels stay full
When the stress lands on -et, the vowel has room to be a full /ɛ/. Verbs such as forget, regret, upset, beset and abet are stressed on the last syllable, and so are the music words duet and quartet, and the military word cadet. One-syllable words (bet, get, net, set, wet, pet, jet) are stressed by definition, so they always have /ɛt/. The related spelling -ette (cassette, baguette) is also normally stressed /ɛt/.
French words kept a French ending
In French, a final -et sounds roughly like /ɛ/ and the t is silent. English borrowed -et words from French over many centuries. Words that arrived long ago, such as pocket, budget, ticket and cabinet, were completely absorbed: English moved the stress to the front and reduced the ending to /ɪt/. Words borrowed more recently, especially words about food, dance, fashion and elegant living, kept a French-style ending. Americans pronounce that ending /eɪ/ and usually stress it: ballet, buffet, gourmet, beret, chalet. For more on this family of words, read our guide to silent final consonants in French loanwords like ballet and buffet.
Pattern Examples
Look at the stress column. It predicts the sound almost every time.
| Pattern | Sound | Examples (US IPA) | Where is the stress? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unstressed -et | /ɪt/ (often /ət/) | pocket /ˈpɑkɪt/, ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/, market /ˈmɑrkɪt/, jacket /ˈdʒækɪt/, basket /ˈbæskɪt/, blanket /ˈblæŋkɪt/, planet /ˈplænɪt/, budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt/, target /ˈtɑrɡɪt/, secret /ˈsikrɪt/, closet /ˈklɑzɪt/, carpet /ˈkɑrpɪt/, bucket /ˈbʌkɪt/, rocket /ˈrɑkɪt/, helmet /ˈhɛlmɪt/, velvet /ˈvɛlvɪt/ | Before -et (usually the first syllable) |
| Unstressed -et after a vowel | /ət/ | quiet /ˈkwaɪət/, diet /ˈdaɪət/, poet /ˈpoʊət/, violet /ˈvaɪələt/ | Before -et |
| Stressed -et | /ɛt/ | forget /fɚˈɡɛt/, regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/, upset /ʌpˈsɛt/, cadet /kəˈdɛt/, duet /duˈɛt/, quartet /kwɔrˈtɛt/, beset /bɪˈsɛt/, abet /əˈbɛt/ | On -et |
| One-syllable -et words | /ɛt/ | bet /bɛt/, get /ɡɛt/, net /nɛt/, set /sɛt/, wet /wɛt/, pet /pɛt/, jet /dʒɛt/ | The whole word |
| Related: -ette | /ɛt/ | cassette /kəˈsɛt/, cigarette /ˌsɪɡəˈrɛt/, baguette /bæˈɡɛt/ | Usually on -ette |
| French loanwords | /eɪ/ (silent t) | ballet /bæˈleɪ/, buffet /bəˈfeɪ/, bouquet /boʊˈkeɪ/, gourmet /ɡʊrˈmeɪ/, beret /bəˈreɪ/, valet /væˈleɪ/, cabaret /ˌkæbəˈreɪ/, chalet /ʃæˈleɪ/, filet /fɪˈleɪ/, croquet /kroʊˈkeɪ/, sachet /sæˈʃeɪ/, Chevrolet /ˌʃɛvrəˈleɪ/, ricochet /ˈrɪkəˌʃeɪ/ | Usually on -et (ricochet is an exception) |
The American T bonus
In the /ɪt/ group, American speakers often do not fully release the final t. In pocket or ticket at the end of a sentence you may hear a glottal stop, [ˈpɑkɪʔ], or a t that is held but not released. Before a vowel suffix, the t usually becomes a quick flap, like the middle of butter: marketing [ˈmɑrkɪɾɪŋ], ticketing [ˈtɪkɪɾɪŋ], budgeted [ˈbʌdʒɪɾɪd], targeted [ˈtɑrɡɪɾɪd]. The same happens with stressed -et: forgetting [fɚˈɡɛɾɪŋ]. Before a consonant, as in pockets or tickets, there is no flap; you hear a real /t/ followed by /s/. For the full picture, see our guide to the American flap T.
Exceptions and How to Spot Them
Compounds that end in a real word: sunset, outlet, Internet
When the end of the word is a complete English word like set, net or let, it usually keeps its full /ɛt/, even though the main stress is on the first part: sunset /ˈsʌnˌsɛt/, headset /ˈhɛdˌsɛt/, outlet /ˈaʊtˌlɛt/, Internet /ˈɪnt̬ɚˌnɛt/. Alphabet /ˈælfəˌbɛt/ behaves the same way. The test: if you can see a whole word hiding at the end, keep its vowel.
French origin is not enough
Looking French does not guarantee /eɪ/. Toilet /ˈtɔɪlət/ and cabinet /ˈkæbənɪt/ come from French, but they are old, everyday words and follow Rule 1. The /eɪ/ pattern belongs to words that still "feel" French to English speakers: menus, dance, fashion, luxury.
The killer pair: buffet and buffet
The same spelling has two pronunciations:
- buffet (a meal where you serve yourself) = /bəˈfeɪ/: "The hotel has a breakfast buffet."
- buffet (verb, to hit again and again) = /ˈbʌfɪt/: "The wind buffeted the ship." Here the flap appears too: buffeted [ˈbʌfɪɾɪd].
The meal is the French-style word; the verb is old English vocabulary with first-syllable stress, so it follows Rule 1.
Fillet, filet and a few variable words
Fillet is spelled with a double l, but for fish and meat Americans usually say /fɪˈleɪ/, just like filet. In technical senses (a narrow band, or a rounded edge in engineering) you often hear /ˈfɪlɪt/. A few other words vary among speakers: valet is most often /væˈleɪ/ but some say /ˈvæleɪ/; cigarette is /ˌsɪɡəˈrɛt/ for many and /ˈsɪɡəˌrɛt/ for others; ricochet puts the main stress on the first syllable, /ˈrɪkəˌʃeɪ/. Etiquette breaks the -ette pattern: /ˈɛt̬ɪkɪt/ (also heard with /ət/ or /ɛt/ at the end), with stress on the first syllable.
How to Predict: The Three-Question Test
- Is it an everyday English noun with stress on the first syllable? Think tools, containers, clothes, money and places: bucket, basket, jacket, budget, market, closet. Say /ɪt/.
- Is the stress on -et? Verbs like forget and regret, music groups like duet and quartet, one-syllable words like get and set. Say /ɛt/.
- Does it look French and belong to food, fashion, the arts or luxury? Ballet, buffet, gourmet, beret, cabaret. Say /eɪ/ and drop the t.
If you are unsure, bet on Rule 1. It covers the largest number of words, and even when it turns out to be wrong, a light /ɪt/ sounds less odd than a heavy, stressed ending.
Common Mistakes for Learners
- Stressing the ending with a full vowel: saying "po-KET" or "tick-ETT." In pocket, ticket and market, the ending is short and weak. Keep the stress and the energy on the first syllable.
- Adding an extra vowel: "tickete" or "pockete." The word ends in /t/ (or a held t in fast speech). Stop there.
- Using the French pattern everywhere: saying "tick-AY" or "budg-AY." Only a limited group of French-looking words uses /eɪ/.
- Pronouncing the t in ballet words: "bal-LET" or "buf-FETT." In ballet, buffet, bouquet and gourmet, the t is silent.
- Weakening stressed -et: saying "FOR-git" for forget. When -et is stressed, give it a full, clear /ɛ/: for-GET.
The same stress logic explains other endings too. Compare the -ite ending in polite, definite and favorite.
Practice
Say each word, listen, and focus on the stress. Group 1 has a weak /ɪt/, group 2 has a strong /ɛt/, group 3 has /eɪ/ with a silent t.
Practice sentences
Read these aloud. Mark each -et word as /ɪt/, /ɛt/ or /eɪ/ before you speak.
- I left my ticket in my jacket pocket.
- Don't forget the budget for the farmers market.
- She'll regret it if she misses the ballet.
- The buffet had a gourmet dessert and a bouquet on every table.
- The quiet poet kept his diet a secret.
- The wind buffeted the rocket on the launch pad.
- We're targeting a new market next year. (listen for the flaps)
Quick Summary
- Unstressed -et is /ɪt/ or /ət/: pocket, ticket, market, budget, secret.
- After a vowel, it is schwa: quiet, diet, poet, violet.
- Stressed -et is /ɛt/: forget, regret, upset, duet, and all one-syllable words (get, set, wet).
- Compounds ending in a real word keep /ɛt/: sunset, outlet, Internet.
- French-style words about food, fashion and the arts use /eɪ/ with a silent t: ballet, buffet, bouquet, gourmet.
- Watch the pair buffet /bəˈfeɪ/ (meal) and buffet /ˈbʌfɪt/ (to hit repeatedly).
- In American English, the t in marketing, ticketing and targeted is usually a flap.