Final sounds:

Final 'ed':
The 'ed' sound at the end of regular verbs in the past tense, some past participles and some
adjectives can have three sounds: /t/, /d/, or /d/.
1. After voiceless sounds, the 'ed' is pronounced /t/ (except after /t/)
helped /pt/ baked /kt/
dressed /st/ relaxed /st/
laughed /ft/ washed /t/ watched /tt/ unearthed /t/
2. After voiced sounds, the 'ed' is pronounced /d/ (except after /d/)
described /bd/
begged /gd/
belonged /d/
bathed /d/
massaged /d/
pleased /zd/
loved /vd/
changed /dd/
settled /ld/
cured /rd/
answered /rd/
dreamed /md/
opened /nd/
cried /ad/
3. In words that end in /t/ or /d/, the 'ed' is pronounced / d/ as a separate syllable, so that the final
syllable begins with a consonant d and sounds like / d/.
wanted /t.d/
waited /t.d/
infected /t.d/
decided /d.d/
folded /d.d/

 Final -s:
The pronunciation of 's' at the end of plural nouns (car-cars), verbs in third person (they like, he likes)
and as a part of the possessive case (Johns) can be pronounced in three different ways: /z/, /s/, or
/z/.
1. In words ending in 'es', the 'es' sound is pronounced /z/ or /z/ after the sibilant
sounds /s/, /z/, //, //, /t/, and /d/.
Be sure to separate the word, adding another syllable, so that the final syllable begins with the / z/
sound.
bus /z/ - buses /zz/
sentence /s/ - sentences /sz/
church /t/ - churches /tz/
bridge /d/ - bridges /dz/
dish // - dishes /z/
rose /z/ - roses /zz/

pause /z/ - pauses /zz/

fix /s/ - fixes /sz/
teach /t/ - teaches /tz/
judge /d/ - judges /dz/
wish // - wishes /z/
Rose /z/ - Roses /zz/

2. In words ending with voiceless sounds, the 's' is pronounced /s/, except after the sounds /s/, //, /t/
(when it is pronounced /z/ - see above).
cups /ps/
slurps /ps/
students /ts/ sits /ts/
almanacs /ks/
looks /ks/
graphs /fs/ laughs /fs/
myths /s/
3. In words ending with voiced sounds the 's' is pronounced /z/, except after 's' and 'z'.
crabs /bz/
rubs /bz/
words /dz/ rides /dz/
rugs /gz/
hugs /gz/
gangs /z/ belongs /z/
articles /lz/ deals /lz/
plums /mz/ dreams /mz/
fans /nz/
bans /nz/
cures /rz/
wears /rz/
gloves /vz/ drives /vz/
boys /z/
plays /z/
says /z/
fleas /iz/
sees /iz/
kangaroos /uz/
clothes /z/ bathes /z/, fliz