How to pronounce “served”
Say “served” in one beat
served
/sɝvd/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɜːvd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- servedsɝvd
- IPA (American)
- /sɝvd/
- IPA (British)
- /sɜːvd/
- Respelling
- SURVD
- Syllables
- 1 — served
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɝvd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/sɝvd/
/sɜːvd/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “served” means
- verb
serve a purpose, role, or function
“The tree stump serves as a table”
- verb
do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function
“He served as head of the department for three years”
- verb
contribute or conduce to
“The scandal served to increase his popularity”
Say it in a sentence
“The soup was served hot with a slice of fresh bread.”“served”, answered
How do you pronounce “served”?
“served” is pronounced /sɝvd/ (SURVD) in American English and /sɜːvd/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɝvd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “served” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /sɝvd/ — a single beat.
Is “served” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /sɝvd/ (SURVD); British English says /sɜːvd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “served” mean?
As a verb: serve a purpose, role, or function For example: “The tree stump serves as a table” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “served”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɝvd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “served” 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.