The spelling of the word "am tantamount" may seem peculiar, but it is actually quite simple once broken down phonetically. The first syllable "am" is pronounced as [æm], where the "a" sound is similar to the "a" in "cat" and the "m" sound is like the "m" in "man". The second syllable "tan" is pronounced as [tæn], with a similar "a" sound as in the first syllable and the "t" sound like the "t" in "top". Lastly, "amount" is pronounced as [əmaʊnt], where the "a" sound is like the "a" in "about" and the "ou" is like the "ou" in "house".