Americans generally do not release many of the final stops. For example, when they say the sound /p/ in the word stop, the lips stay closed. No air comes out. This creates almost a silent version of the sound /p/, or a half p. We know the p is there, but we don’t hear all of it. If the lips were released, there would be a slight puff of air.

Let’s try another stop: the sound /g/. When you say the word big, don’t release the /g/. Make sure that your tongue remains up in the back of your mouth when you are done saying the word.