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Ed Pronunciation

The pronunciation of "ed" in English can vary depending on the context. Generally, it is pronounced as a "t" sound when following voiceless consonants like "p" or "s"; as a "d" sound when following voiced consonants like "b" or "g"; and as an "id" sound when following words ending in "t" or "d", such as "wanted" being pronounced "want-id". Exceptions exist, and some dialects may have different rules. Correct pronunciation of "ed" depends on whether the preceding sound is voiced or voiceless.

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186 views7 pages

Ed Pronunciation

The pronunciation of "ed" in English can vary depending on the context. Generally, it is pronounced as a "t" sound when following voiceless consonants like "p" or "s"; as a "d" sound when following voiced consonants like "b" or "g"; and as an "id" sound when following words ending in "t" or "d", such as "wanted" being pronounced "want-id". Exceptions exist, and some dialects may have different rules. Correct pronunciation of "ed" depends on whether the preceding sound is voiced or voiceless.

Uploaded by

herve djomguem
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Ed Pronunciation

Introduction

ED appears at the end of regular verbs in the past tense (e.g. wanted, helped, lived)
sometimes in adjectives ending in ED (e.g. tired, embarrassed, relaxed) as well as in
some Past Participles.

However the pronunciation of ED sometimes causes problems for non-native


speakers because it can be pronounced in three different ways: as / id /, as / t / or as
/d/

(Note: whenever you see letters or symbols between two slash marks (/ /), it refers to
the pronunciation of that letter or sound)

Before we learn the different ways to pronounce ED, we must first know what voiced
and voiceless consonants are.

Voiced Consonants vs. Voiceless Consonants

A voiced consonant (or sound) means that it uses the vocal cords and they produce
a vibration or humming sound in the throat when they are said. Put your finger on
your throat and then pronounce the letter L. You will notice a slight vibration in your
neck / throat. That is because it is a voiced sound.

A voiceless sound (sometimes called an unvoiced sound) is when there is no


vibration in your throat and the sound comes from the mouth area. Pronounce the
letter P. You will notice how it comes from your mouth (in fact near your lips at the
front of your mouth). The P sound doesn't come from your throat.

Try this with the other letters and you will "feel" the difference between a voiced and
a voiceless consonant (or sound).

Now we know the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds we can look at
the following rules for the correct pronunciation of ED in English:

1. The /id/ sound

If the last letter of the word is spelled with D or T, the ED is pronounced as a


separate syllable with an /id/ sound (it rhymes with kid and lid).
wanted (sounds like "want-id")
waited
needed
folded
General Rule: If the verb ends in a –d or a –t, the –ed ending is pronounced as a
new syllable, /id/.

2. The /t/ sound

If the last consonant of the word is voiceless, then the ED is pronounced as a T. Be


careful not to create an extra syllable or "id" sound.

talked (sounds like "talkt")


kissed (the S sound comes from the front of mouth so it would sound like "kisst")
parked
helped
NOTE: As an example, with the word "helped", if you say "help-id" as a two syllable
word, then it is very likely that people will NOT understand the word or what you are
saying. (It is pronounced like "helpt")

General Rule: If the verb ends in an unvoiced consonant (p, k, f, gh, sh, ch, ss, c, x),
then the –ed ending sounds like a /t/ and does not create a new syllable.

3. The /d/ sound

If the last letter of the words ends in a voiced consonant (or sound), then the ED is
pronounced like a D (without creating another syllable)

played (sounds like "playd")


closed (the S sounds like a vibrating Z so the word would sound like "clozd")
opened
lived

An easy way to remember how to pronounce ED words


The most important thing to remember is that there are two main divisions:

The words that end in T or D


- the ED is pronounced as a syllable /id/
and the REST of the words
- you can pronounce the ED as /t/ and people will understand.
In time you will learn when to pronounce the ED as /t/ or /d/.
General rule: If the verb ends in a vowel sound or a voiced consonant (l, n, r, b, g,
m, z, s, v), then the –ed ending sounds like a /d/ and does not create a new syllable.

ED PRONOUNCED LIKE “ID”


Let’s get started. The only time we pronounce the -ED ending like “id” with an extra
syllable is after verbs ending in a T or D sound.

So want (one syllable) becomes want-ed (two syllables), and de-cide (two syllables)
becomes de-cid-ed (three syllables). Listen and repeat after me.

started
ended
hated
guarded
attempted
exploded
acted
provided

ED PRONOUNCED LIKE “T”


After verbs ending in S, X, K, P, F, SH, and CH sounds, the -ED ending should sound
like “T” with no extra syllable.

So ask (one syllable) becomes asked (also one syllable). Dis-miss (two syllables)
becomes dis-missed (also two syllables). Notice how the -ED just sounds like T. Let’s
practice:

worked
missed
fixed
liked
stopped
noticed
laughed
brushed
watched
developed

ED PRONOUNCED LIKE “D”


For all other regular verbs that end in any other sound besides the ones we’ve
already mentioned, the -ED ending sounds like “D” but with NO extra syllable.
So call (one syllable) becomes called (also one syllable) – not call-ed.

Pre-pare (two syllables) becomes pre-pared (also two syllables) – not pre-par-ed
with three.

Let’s try some examples:

cleaned
played
used
allowed
pulled
argued
compared
annoyed
analyzed
opened

QUICK REVIEW:
For regular verbs ending in T or D sounds, we pronounce the -ED ending like “id”:
want – want-ed
For regular verbs ending in S, X, K, P, F, SH, and CH sounds, we pronounce the -ED
ending like “T”:
kiss – kissed (kisst)
For all other regular verbs, we pronounce the -ED ending like “D” and just stick it
onto the final sound without adding an extra syllable:
clean – cleaned (like cleand, not clean-ed)

On images
Summary

The pronunciation of "ed" in English can vary depending on the context in which it is
used. In general, there are three possible pronunciations:

"t" sound: When "ed" comes after a voiceless consonant (such as "p," "k," or "s") or
at the end of a word after an unvoiced sound, it is pronounced as a "t" sound. For
example, the word "jumped" is pronounced as "jump-t."

"d" sound: When "ed" comes after a voiced consonant (such as "b," "g," or "v") or at
the end of a word after a voiced sound, it is pronounced as a "d" sound. For
example, the word "grabbed" is pronounced as "grab-d."
"id" sound: When "ed" comes after the "t" or "d" sound, it is pronounced as an "id"
sound. For example, the word "wanted" is pronounced as "want-id."

Remember that these rules are not always absolute, and there are some exceptions
and variations in pronunciation. Additionally, some English dialects may have
different rules or pronunciations for "ed."

Jumped - "jump-t"
Hoped - "hope-t"
Wanted - "want-id"
Played - "play-d"
Called - "call-d"
Laughed - "laugh-d"
Walked - "walk-t"
Asked - "ask-t"
Looked - "look-t"
Decided - "decide-d"
Shared - "share-d"
Believed - "believ-d"
Moved - "move-d"
Stayed - "stay-d"
Enjoyed - "enjoy-d".

References
https://www.grammar.cl/english/pronunciation-ed.htm, accessed on March 3, 2023
https://www.literacymn.org/pronouncing-past-tense-ed-ending-sort-sounds, accessed on
March 3, 2023
https://www.literacymn.org/pronouncing-past-tense-ed-ending-sort-sounds, accessed on
March 3, 2023
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/how-to-pronounce-ed.html, for playing with
pronunciation
https://www.espressoenglish.net/how-to-pronounce-ed-perfectly-every-time-in-english/,
accessed on March 3, 2023

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