-ed and -s Pronunciation Checker
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Type a verb or a noun and find out how its -ed or -s ending is pronounced, and why.
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Past simple
wanted/ɪd/
Rule: After a /t/ or /d/ sound, -ed is an extra syllable: /ɪd/ (wanted, needed).
By the rule, from the spelling of the word.
The sound comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary when the word is in it, and from the spelling rule otherwise.
-ed endings: examples by sound
/ɪd/
After a /t/ or /d/ sound, -ed is an extra syllable: /ɪd/ (wanted, needed).
- want → wanted
- need → needed
- start → started
- visit → visited
- decide → decided
- wait → waited
- end → ended
- invite → invited
- add → added
- paint → painted
/t/
After a voiceless sound (p, k, f, s, sh, ch, x), -ed sounds /t/ (worked, watched).
- work → worked
- help → helped
- watch → watched
- wash → washed
- stop → stopped
- cook → cooked
- laugh → laughed
- fix → fixed
- dance → danced
- kiss → kissed
/d/
After a voiced sound or a vowel, -ed sounds /d/ (played, cleaned).
- play → played
- clean → cleaned
- open → opened
- live → lived
- call → called
- love → loved
- rain → rained
- listen → listened
- arrive → arrived
- study → studied
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The three sounds of -ed
Regular verbs in the past simple all end in -ed, but -ed is not always said the same way. After a /t/ or /d/ sound it is an extra syllable, /ɪd/: wanted, needed, decided. After a voiceless sound such as p, k, f, s, sh, ch or x it sounds /t/: worked, stopped, watched, fixed. After every other sound, including vowels, it sounds /d/: played, cleaned, lived.
The rule follows the last sound of the verb, not its last letter. Laugh ends in an f sound, so laughed ends in /t/. Dance ends in an s sound, so danced ends in /t/ too, even though the word ends in e.
The three sounds of -s and -es
The same idea works for plurals and for the he/she/it form of the present simple. After a hissing sound (s, z, sh, ch, j) the ending is an extra syllable, /ɪz/: boxes, watches, pages. After a voiceless sound (p, t, k, f) it is /s/: cats, books, laughs. After a voiced sound or a vowel it is /z/: dogs, days, trees.
The most common mistake
Spanish and Portuguese speakers often add an extra vowel to every -ed ending: “work-ed” instead of /wɝkt/. Only verbs ending in a /t/ or /d/ sound get the extra syllable. Say “worked” as one syllable, “played” as one syllable, and save /ɪd/ for words like wanted and needed.
To see the full pronunciation of any word, use the English to IPA converter.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce -ed at the end of a verb?
There are three ways. Say /ɪd/ after a /t/ or /d/ sound (wanted), /t/ after a voiceless sound such as p, k, f, s, sh or ch (worked), and /d/ after any other sound (played).
Why does “fixed” end in /t/?
Because x is said /ks/, and /s/ is a voiceless sound. The ending follows the sound, so fixed is /fɪkst/.
Are there exceptions?
A few adjectives in -ed are said with /ɪd/ even after other sounds: naked, wicked, beloved and learned (as in “a learned man”). Irregular verbs such as go → went have no -ed ending at all.
Is the word I type sent anywhere?
No. The checker runs in your browser. It downloads a small part of the dictionary, named by the first two letters of the word, but the word itself is never sent or stored.