Pronunciation

How to pronounce “described

“described” is pronounced /dɪˈskɹaɪbd/ (di-SKRYBD) in American English and /dɪskɹaɪbd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “skɹaɪbd”.
The sound

Say “described” in 2 beats

Say it like this

described

/dɪˈskɹaɪbd/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪskɹaɪbd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. skɹaɪbdskɹaɪbdstress
IPA (American)
/dɪˈskɹaɪbd/
IPA (British)
/dɪskɹaɪbd/
Respelling
di-SKRYBD
Syllables
2 — dɪ-SKɹAꞮBD
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dɪ-SKɹAꞮBD. “skɹaɪbd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dɪˈskɹaɪbd/

British

/dɪskɹaɪbd/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “described” means

  1. verb

    give a description of

    He drew an elaborate plan of attack

  2. verb

    to give an account or representation of in words

    Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental

  3. verb

    make a mark or lines on a surface

    draw a line

Say it in a sentence

He described the accident in careful detail to the officer.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

described”, answered

How do you pronounce “described”?

“described” is pronounced /dɪˈskɹaɪbd/ (di-SKRYBD) in American English and /dɪskɹaɪbd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “skɹaɪbd”. Build it as dɪ-SKɹAꞮBD, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “described” have?

2: dɪ · skɹaɪbd. The beat lands on the second, “skɹaɪbd”.

Is “described” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɪˈskɹaɪbd/ (di-SKRYBD); British English says /dɪskɹaɪbd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “described” mean?

As a verb: give a description of For example: “He drew an elaborate plan of attack” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “described”?

Stress the second syllable: dɪ-SKɹAꞮBD. “skɹaɪbd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “described” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.