Pronunciation

How to pronounce “killed

“killed” is pronounced /kɪld/ (KILD) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “killed” in one beat

Say it like this

killed

/kɪld/

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

1 beat
  1. killedkɪld
IPA (American)
/kɪld/
IPA (British)
/kɪld/
Respelling
KILD
Syllables
1 — killed
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɪld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “killed” means

  1. verb

    cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

    This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank

  2. verb

    thwart the passage of

    kill a motion

  3. verb

    end or extinguish by forceful means

    Stamp out poverty!

Say it in a sentence

The frost killed most of the plants in the garden.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

killed”, answered

How do you pronounce “killed”?

“killed” is pronounced /kɪld/ (KILD) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɪld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “killed” have?

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

What does “killed” mean?

As a verb: cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly For example: “This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “killed”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “killed” and see every sound

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