Pronunciation

How to pronounce “supposed

“supposed” is pronounced /səˈpoʊzd/ (suh-POHZD) in American English and /səpəʊzd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “poʊzd”.
The sound

Say “supposed” in 2 beats

Say it like this

supposed

/səˈpoʊzd/

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

2 beats
  1. poʊzdpoʊzdstress
IPA (American)
/səˈpoʊzd/
IPA (British)
/səpəʊzd/
Respelling
suh-POHZD
Syllables
2 — sə-POƱZD
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sə-POƱZD. “poʊzd” 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

/səˈpoʊzd/

British

/səpəʊzd/

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

Meaning

What “supposed” means

  1. verb

    express a supposition

    Let us say that he did not tell the truth

  2. verb

    expect, believe, or suppose

    I imagine she earned a lot of money with her new novel

  3. verb

    to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

    Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps

Say it in a sentence

They were supposed to arrive before the storm started.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

supposed”, answered

How do you pronounce “supposed”?

“supposed” is pronounced /səˈpoʊzd/ (suh-POHZD) in American English and /səpəʊzd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “poʊzd”. Build it as sə-POƱZD, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “supposed” have?

2: sə · poʊzd. The beat lands on the second, “poʊzd”.

Is “supposed” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /səˈpoʊzd/ (suh-POHZD); British English says /səpəʊzd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “supposed” mean?

As a verb: express a supposition For example: “Let us say that he did not tell the truth” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “supposed”?

Stress the second syllable: sə-POƱZD. “poʊzd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “supposed” 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.