Pron nciation

v
How to pronounce -ed endings Emma
w i t h

Do you make this common mistake?

If you sometimes doubt whether ‘called’ is pronounced ‘call-ed’ or ‘calld’,
then you’re not alone!

In this lesson you’re going to learn three simple rules for the pronunciation of ‘ed’
endings. You will also learn some common exceptions to these rules.

Let’s begin the lesson!

Rule number 1: ‘-ted’ and ‘-ded’

If your word ends with -ted or -ded, then the ending is pronounced as /Id/.

need /niːd/ -> needed /ˈniːdɪd/

decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ -> decided /dɪˈsaɪdɪd/
include /ɪnˈkluːd/ -> included /ɪnˈkluːdɪd/

want /wɒnt/ -> wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/

💡
create /kriˈeɪt/ -> created /kriˈeɪtɪd/
present /prɪˈzent/ -> presented /prɪˈzentɪd/
Improve
Notice how they all end with /ɪd/ To
Faster!
help you
with voic
because they end in ‘ded’ and ‘ted’. voiced s
ounds, p
eless an
d
friend a ractice w
nd see if ith a
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voiceles voiced a
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Rule number 2: /t/
s when e
ach othe
r speak!

For this rule, imagine the word ‘like’.

Now, add ‘-ed’ to the end... ‘liked’! How would you pronounce this?

Well, it can‘t be ‘like-ID’, right?

Remember, to have the /ɪd/ pronunciation, the word must end in ‘ted’ or ‘ded’.

Here, you must pay attention to the sound before the ‘ed’ spelling.

If there is a voiceless sound before the ‘ed’ spelling, then we pronounce it as /t/.

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 Pron nciation
v
How to pronounce -ed endings Emma
w i t h

Rule number 2 (continued)

😮
Take a look at these examples:
Quick Fact!
ask /ɑːsk/ or /æsk/ -> asked /ɑːskt/ /æskt/ Typically, in th
e north of En
gland, people
work /wɜːk/ -> worked /wɜːkt/ use the shor
t /æ/ sound
in
‘class’, ‘exam words like
ple’, ‘ask’, and
hope /həʊp/ -> hoped /həʊpt/ In most area
s of the sout
m any more!
h, they use th
long /ɑː/ soun e
d.

Rule number 3: /d/

This rule is similar to rule number two. If the word has a voiced sound before the ‘ed’
ending, we add a /d/ sound to the end.

So a word like ‘call’ isn’t pronounced as ‘callED’ but ‘calleD’.

Here are some more words:

play /pleɪ/ -> played /pleɪd/

live /lɪv/ -> lived /lɪvd/
open /ˈəʊ.pən/ -> opened /ˈəʊ.pənd/

How to know if a sound is voiced

or voiceless
Start by putting your hand on your throat.

Now say the word ‘dog’. Do you feel the vibration in your throat?
That’s because all the sounds in dog contain voiced sounds.

When a sound is voiced, your vocal cords vibrate (which you can feel when you
touch your throat!)

Now say the sounds /k/, /p/ and /s/.

Do you feel vibration in your throat now? If you’re doing these correctly, hopefully not!

These sounds are voiceless. This means that they are made with air, not the
vibration of your vocal cords.

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 Pron nciation
v
How to pronounce -ed endings Emma
w i t h

Exceptions to the ‘ed’ ending pronunciation rules

learned /ˈlɜːnɪd/ (adj. a person who has acquired much knowledge through study)
He is a learned man.

aged /ˈeɪdʒɪd/ (a very old person)

He’s an aged man.

blessed /ˈblesɪd/ (adjective: made holy / a term to express annoyance)

The blessed phone won’t work!

wretched /ˈretʃɪd/ (a very unhappy and unfortunate person)

They’re such wretched people.

crooked /ˈkrʊkɪd/ (Adj. bent and twisted out of place)

They have crooked teeth.

naked /ˈneɪkɪd/ (wearing no clothes)

They painted a picture of a naked figure.

dogged /ˈdɒɡɪd/ (showing great determination and persistence)

He remained dogged in his pursuit for happiness.

👀
wicked /ˈwɪkɪd/ (evil or morally wrong / slang: very cool)
That was a cruel and wicked thing to do.

ragged /ˈræɡɪd/ (old and torn clothing)

Watch out!!
The adjectives
‘aged’, ‘learne
d’ and ‘blessed
/. H ow ev er,
’
/ɪd
and end with
are exceptions e rules!
They wore ragged clothing. the ve rb fo rms follow th
aged - /d/
learned - /d/
rugged /ˈrʌɡɪd/ (a broken and rocky surface) blessed -/t/
They hiked through the rugged mountains.

jagged /ˈdʒæɡɪd/ (something with rough and sharp points)

Her fingernails were jagged and dirty.

legged /ˈleɡɪd/ or /ˈleɡd/ (having legs of a specific number or kind)

A three-legged dog.

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 Pron nciation
v
How to pronounce -ed endings Emma
w i t h

This
‘Learneis the British
d’ is th s
e Amer pelling!
Test what you have learnt! ican wa
y

Can you arrange the words into the correct columns?

Refused Handed Pushed Matched Worried Stuffed
Wanted Offended Popped Regretted Blushed Boiled
Described Boxed Invited Damaged Welcomed Reflected
Attacked Avoided Listened Shocked Consisted Paused
Worked Tripped Wasted Calculated Removed Remembered

/Id/ sound ending /d/ sound ending /t/ sound ending

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 Pron nciation
v
How to pronounce -ed endings Emma
w i t h

Check your answers

/Id/ sound ending /d/ sound ending /t/ sound ending

handed refused pushed

wanted worried matched

offended boiled stuffed

regretted described popped

invited damaged blushed

reflected welcomed boxed

avoided listened attacked

consisted paused shocked

wasted removed worked

calcultated remembered tripped

So, what’s next?

Head to Pronunciation with Emma on YouTube for more video lessons that will
improve your English pronunciation and help you understand native English
speakers!

I want to learn more!

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