English Pronunciation · Past Tense

-ED Pronunciation: The Three Sounds

The regular past tense ending -ed has three pronunciations: /ɪd/, /t/ and /d/. The last sound of the verb decides which one you use.

Die Endung -ed hat drei Aussprachen – der letzte Laut des Verbs entscheidet.

wanted /ɪd/·kissed /t/·played /d/

3 simple rules
Voiced or voiceless? The throat test
16-word sorting exercise
8-question quiz

1 Try It First

Say these three verbs aloud. Can you hear three different endings?

wanted

/ˈwɒntɪd/ · 2 syllables

kissed

/kɪst/ · 1 syllable

played

/pleɪd/ · 1 syllable

The throat test: put your fingers on your throat and say sss then zzz. With /z/ you feel a buzz – it’s voiced. With /s/ there’s no buzz – it’s voiceless. Listen to the sound at the end of the verb, not the letter.

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2 /ɪd/ – After /t/ and /d/

If the verb ends in a /t/ or /d/ sound, -ed becomes /ɪd/ and adds an extra syllable. (We can’t say /t/ + /t/ or /d/ + /d/ together, so a vowel goes in between.)

wanted

/ˈwɒntɪd/

needed

/ˈniːdɪd/

added

/ˈædɪd/

started

/ˈstɑːtɪd/

decided

/dɪˈsaɪdɪd/

visited

/ˈvɪzɪtɪd/

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3 /t/ – After Voiceless Sounds

If the verb ends in a voiceless sound (except /t/), -ed is a short /t/. No extra syllable.

Voiceless sounds: /p/ /k/ /f/ /s/ /ʃ/ (sh) /tʃ/ (ch) /θ/ (th)

touched

/tʌtʃt/

jumped

/dʒʌmpt/

laughed

/lɑːft/

kicked

/kɪkt/

danced

/dɑːnst/

washed

/wɒʃt/

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4 /d/ – After Voiced Sounds

If the verb ends in a voiced sound (except /d/), -ed is a soft /d/. No extra syllable.

Voiced sounds: all vowels and diphthongs · /b/ /g/ /v/ /z/ /ʒ/ /dʒ/ /ð/ /l/ /m/ /n/ /ŋ/

played

/pleɪd/

pulled

/pʊld/

cleaned

/kliːnd/

called

/kɔːld/

saved

/seɪvd/

changed

/tʃeɪndʒd/

In British English, verbs spelt with a final r end in a vowel sound: prefer /prɪˈfɜː/ → preferred /prɪˈfɜːd/.

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5 Summary

The verb ends in …	-ed sounds like	Extra syllable?
/t/ or /d/	/ɪd/	Yes – want·ed
a voiceless sound (not /t/)	/t/	No – kissed
a voiced sound (not /d/)	/d/	No – played

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6 Tips for German Speakers

Don’t add a syllable

stopped is /stɒpt/, not *stop-ped*; looked is /lʊkt/, not *look-ed*. Only /t/ and /d/ verbs get the extra syllable.

Keep /d/ voiced

German devoices final consonants (Hund = /hʊnt/). In English, played /pleɪd/ is not *plate* /pleɪt/. Make the vowel slightly longer before /d/ and keep it soft.

Link to the next word

The ending moves to a following vowel: walked‿away → wɔːk‿tə‿WAY, lived‿in → li‿vdin. Linking also helps keep the /d/ voiced. See Linking Sounds.

-ed adjectives

A few adjectives always use /ɪd/: naked, wicked, crooked, ragged, beloved, a learned (= gelehrt) person. Compare: He learned /lɜːnd/ English.

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