English Pronunciation: Past Tense -ed Sounds

Level A2 · Lesson 3

Language Focus: Three Sounds for -ed

We add -ed to regular verbs to make the past tense. Like the -s/-es ending, this is not always pronounced the same way — there are three different sounds.

SoundWhen we use itExamples
/t/After quiet sounds: p, k, s, sh, ch, f, xpushed, wished, passed
/d/After most other sounds (b, g, l, m, n, r, v, z, and vowels)rained, cried, carried
/id/After t or d sounds — adds an extra syllablehunted, printed, tested
Tip: If the base verb already ends in a "t" or "d" sound (hunt, test, rest, invent), you can't add another t/d sound smoothly — English solves this by adding a whole extra syllable: "test" (1 syllable) → "tested" (2 syllables).

Remember: this rule is about sound, not spelling. "Wish" ends in the sound /sh/ (quiet), so "wished" = /t/. "Rain" ends in the sound /n/ (voiced), so "rained" = /d/.

Listen and Practise

Click the speaker to listen to each word. Then click the correct sound.

Exercise 1: True or False

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Exercise 3: Matching

Click the speaker to listen to each word. Then click the word, and click the box with its correct sound.

Exercise 4: Word Sort

Drag each word into the correct box: /t/, /d/, or /id/.

/t/

/d/

/id/

Exercise 5: Gap Fill

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