Pronunciation

How to pronounce “lived

“lived” is pronounced /lɪvd/ (LIVD), and /laɪvd/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “lived” in one beat

Say it like this

lived

/lɪvd/

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

1 beat
  1. livedlɪvd
IPA (American)
/lɪvd/
IPA (British)
/lɪvd/
Also accepted
/laɪvd/
Respelling
LIVD
Syllables
1 — lived
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɪvd/ 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 “lived” means

  1. verb

    inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of

    People lived in Africa millions of years ago

  2. verb

    lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style

    we had to live frugally after the war

  3. verb

    continue to live through hardship or adversity

    We went without water and food for 3 days

Say it in a sentence

They lived in a small cottage near the edge of the woods.
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

lived”, answered

How do you pronounce “lived”?

“lived” is pronounced /lɪvd/ (LIVD), and /laɪvd/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lɪvd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “lived” have?

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

Is “lived” /lɪvd/ or /laɪvd/?

Both. /lɪvd/ is the form dictionaries list first (LIVD).

What does “lived” mean?

As a verb: inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of For example: “People lived in Africa millions of years ago” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “lived”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “lived” and see every sound

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