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How to pronounce -ed endings

Episode 250821 / 21 Aug 2025

Free worksheet and transcript

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Three ways to pronounce the letters 'ed' at the end of words 

Words with the letters 'ed' at the end are usually regular past tense verbs like 'started' or adjectives like ‘confused’. The pronunciation of 'ed' can change depending on which sound comes before it - it can sound like a /t/ sound, a /d/ sound or an /ɪd/ sound.

The letters 'ed' make the /t/ sound when there is a voiceless consonant before it, such as /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, /ʃ/, and /θ/. For example:

  • liked /laɪkt/
  • tapped /tæpt/
  • laughed /lɑːft/

The letters 'ed' make the /d/ sound when there is a voiced consonant before it, such as /b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, and /m/. For example:

  • used /juːzd/
  • robbed /rɒbd/
  • cleaned /kliːnd/

The letters 'ed' make an /ɪd/ sound when the word ends in the letters 't' or 'd'. For example:

  • started /stɑːtɪd/
  • needed /niːdɪd/
  • suggested /sədʒestɪd/

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from the podcast series My Song, My Home – learn English through song in this musical tour of the UK here.

Next

Try Tim's Pronunciation Workshop to learn about connected speech.

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