Many English learners make pronunciation mistakes with the -ED ending of regular verbs in English in the past tense. There are 3 ways to pronounce it:
- Like T
- Like ED (with an extra syllable)
- Like D
Let’s do some English pronunciation practice with examples:
-ED pronounced like T
After English verbs ending with a K sound
- asked
- checked
- kicked
- liked
- looked
- talked
- thanked
- walked
- worked
After English verbs ending with an S sound
- confessed
- crossed
- dressed
- embarrassed
- guessed
- impressed
- increased
- missed
- passed
- promised
Remember that C in English can also have an S sound:
- announced
- danced
- forced
- influenced
- introduced
- noticed
- reduced
After English verbs ending with an SH sound
- brushed
- crashed
- punished
- pushed
- rushed
After English verbs ending with a CH sound
- matched
- punched
- reached
- searched
After English verbs ending with an F / X sound
- laughed
- fixed
- relaxed
-ED pronounced like ED (with extra syllable)
After English verbs ending with a T sound
- accepted
- appreciated
- cheated
- connected
- excited
- interrupted
- invented
- rejected
- started
- waited
After English verbs ending with a D sound
- avoided
- decided
- ended
- expanded
- guarded
- included
- needed
- pretended
- reminded
- succeeded
-ED pronounced like D
After ALL other English verbs that don’t fit into the first two categories
ap / pear –> ap / peared
(no extra syllable)
ac / cept –> ac / cep / ted
(the ED adds an extra syllable)
After English verbs ending with an R sound
- appeared
- compared
- considered
- entered
- remembered
After English verbs ending with a V sound
- arrived
- received
- observed
- improved
- saved
After English verbs ending with a Z sound
- advised
- buzzed
- paused
- raised
- sneezed
After English verbs ending with an L / M / N sound
- killed
- pulled
- traveled
- claimed
- jammed
- burned
- examined
- explained
- turned
- warned
After English verbs ending with a vowel sound
- borrowed
- annoyed
- cried
- glued
- carried
- weighed
After English verbs ending with a B / G / J sound
- robbed
- scrubbed
- belonged
- hugged
- arranged
- encouraged
- challenged
- judged
- managed
Let’s review:
-ED only adds an extra syllable when after a verb ending with T or D
want –> wan / ted
(1 syllable –> 2 syllables)
de / cide –> de / ci / ded
(2 syllables –> 3 syllables)
In all other cases, it does not add an extra syllable
miss –> missed (“misst”)
(1 syllable –> 1 syllable)
re / ceive –> re / ceived
(2 syllables –> 2 syllables)
