The sounds of words ending in “-ed”

Words that end in “ed” can have a variety of sounds depending on their context and the specific phonetic characteristics of the word. Remember, English pronunciation can sometimes be inconsistent, and regional accents can influence how these endings are pronounced. However, these patterns are generally a good guide to start with when learning or teaching English pronunciation. These are the general patterns:

-ed sounds

There are three ways to pronounce -ed words. Words that end in “t” or “d” have the pronunciation of /id/ such as in “folded” or “accepted”. The rest of the words can be pronounced with -ed as “t” and people will understand. It may take a while before you learn if a word has a “t” or “d” but be patient as you learn.

The /ɪd/ sound

This sound is added when the base word ends in /t/ or /d/.
Examples:

• wanted (want + ed = wanted) — sounds like want-id
• decided (decide + ed = decided) — sounds like decide-id

The /d/ sound

The “d” sound is used when the base word ends in a voiced consonant (except for /t/ or /d/) or a vowel. A “voiced consonant” is a consonant that is pronounced, or in other words, it has sound.
Examples:

• called (call + ed = called) — sounds like call-d
• grilled (grill + ed = grilled) — sounds like grill-d

The /t/ sound

The “t” sound is used when the base word ends in a voiceless consonant :
Examples:

• cooked (cook +ed = cooked) — sounds like cook-t
• laughed (laugh + ed = laughed) — sounds like laugh-t
• wished (wish +ed = wished) — sounds like wish-t

For further study:

• Adjectives ending in -ed.

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