Pronunciation

How to pronounce “passed

“passed” is pronounced /pæst/ (PAST) in American English and /past/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “passed” in one beat

Say it like this

passed

/pæst/

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

1 beat
  1. passedpæst
IPA (American)
/pæst/
IPA (British)
/past/
Respelling
PAST
Syllables
1 — passed
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pæst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/pæst/

British

/past/

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

Meaning

What “passed” means

  1. verb

    go across or through

    We passed the point where the police car had parked

  2. verb

    move past

    A black limousine passed by when she looked out the window

  3. verb

    make laws, bills, etc. or bring into effect by legislation

    They passed the amendment

Say it in a sentence

The years passed quickly once the children started school.
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

passed”, answered

How do you pronounce “passed”?

“passed” is pronounced /pæst/ (PAST) in American English and /past/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pæst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “passed” have?

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

Is “passed” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pæst/ (PAST); British English says /past/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “passed” mean?

As a verb: go across or through For example: “We passed the point where the police car had parked” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “passed”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “passed” 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.