Mastering the Past Simple: Pronouncing ED Endings Correctly

English learners are usually appalled that they will need to remember when the words end with which sound, /t/ or /d/ with no extra syllable or /id/ with an extra syllable. Watch the video below for rules and examples.

How do you remember the proper final ed pronunciation? Well, luckily there are rules, but as usual, these rules only work most of the time. They don’t work all the time. 

So, what are these rules?

*** Please note, the words in the tables below are real examples of pronunciation errors ***

When to add a syllable

If the original word ends in consonant sound /t/ or /d/ then an /id/ ending is added. This means that all words ending in the letters T or D need an /id/ ending, and therefore, you need to add a syllable.

When to add a /t/ ending, with NO added syllable 

If the original word ends in a voiceless consonant sound, then add /t/, and NO extra syllable. Letters that express voiceless consonants are CH, F, K, P, S, SH, T, TH, X, GH, C. These express voiceless sounds in the phonemic chart.

When to add a /d/ ending, with NO added syllable 

If the original word ends in a voiced consonant sound, then add /d/, and NO extra syllable. Some letters that express voiceless consonants are B, G, J, L, M, N, NG, R, SZ, TH, V, W, Y, Z. These express voiced sounds in the phonemic chart.