B1 Level — Preview:
-ed pronunciation is a phonetics topic formally studied at B1. This reference helps you sound natural when speaking in the Past Simple.
The three -ed sounds
The -ed ending has three different pronunciations. The sound depends on the final sound of the base verb — not the letter, the sound.
| Sound | When (base verb ends in…) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| /t/ | voiceless consonant: /p/ /k/ /f/ /s/ /ʃ/ /tʃ/ |
stop → stopped /stɒpt/ walk → walked /wɔːkt/ wash → washed /wɒʃt/ kiss → kissed /kɪst/ |
| /d/ | voiced consonant or vowel sound |
play → played /pleɪd/ move → moved /muːvd/ listen → listened /ˈlɪs.ənd/ love → loved /lʌvd/ |
| /ɪd/ | /t/ or /d/ sound only (adds a new syllable) |
want → wanted /ˈwɒn.tɪd/ need → needed /ˈniː.dɪd/ visit → visited /ˈvɪz.ɪ.tɪd/ start → started /ˈstɑː.tɪd/ |
Shortcut for /ɪd/:
Only use /ɪd/ when the base verb ends in a /t/ or /d/ sound. These are the only words where you can literally hear the -ed as a new syllable: want·ed (2 syllables), played (1 syllable only).
Quick practice list
| /t/ | /d/ | /ɪd/ |
|---|---|---|
| cooked /kʊkt/ | called /kɔːld/ | waited /ˈweɪ.tɪd/ |
| watched /wɒtʃt/ | opened /ˈəʊ.pənd/ | decided /dɪˈsaɪ.dɪd/ |
| laughed /lɑːft/ | arrived /əˈraɪvd/ | landed /ˈlæn.dɪd/ |
| missed /mɪst/ | lived /lɪvd/ | ended /ˈen.dɪd/ |