Pronunciation

How to pronounce “dead

“dead” is pronounced /dɛd/ (DED) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “dead” in one beat

Say it like this

dead

/dɛd/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. deaddɛd
IPA (American)
/dɛd/
IPA (British)
/dɛd/
Respelling
DED
Syllables
1 — dead
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dɛd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “dead” means

  1. noun

    people who are no longer living

    they buried the dead

  2. noun

    a time when coldness (or some other quality associated with death) is intense

    the dead of winter

  3. adjective

    no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

    the nerve is dead

Say it in a sentence

The old phone battery was completely dead by morning.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

2 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

dead”, answered

How do you pronounce “dead”?

“dead” is pronounced /dɛd/ (DED) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /dɛd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “dead” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /dɛd/ — a single beat.

What does “dead” mean?

As a noun: people who are no longer living For example: “they buried the dead” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “dead”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dɛd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “dead” and see every sound

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