Accused is a verb in the past participle form meaning declared formally to be guilty of a crime, or a noun referring to a person who has been charged with a crime. In everyday use, it often appears in legal or news contexts, and in everyday speech it can function as an adjective describing someone alleged to have committed an act. The pronunciation centers on the stress pattern and the /kjuːzd/ sequence, with clear syllable boundaries.
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- You may flatten the /juː/ into a simple /uː/ or /juː/ lacking the clean /j/ onset. Correction: deliberate practice of /k/ + /j/ + /uː/ with a light touch on the /j/ before the long /u/. - The final /zd/ cluster can be de-voiced during fast speech, sounding like /z/ or /d/. Correction: keep voiced /z/ then /d/ distinctly; practice a quick but audible release. - Weak first syllable, especially in rapid speech. Correction: ensure stress lands on the second syllable, and the first syllable uses a relaxed schwa. Practice timing with a metronome to stabilize rhythm.
- US: slight reduction of the initial syllable; keep /ə/; emphasize /ˈkjuːzd/ with a crisp /k/ release. - UK: more precise /ˈkjuːzd/ with marginally longer /uː/ and crisper /z/; keep non-rhoticity unaffected here as there’s no /r/. - AU: similar to US with a slightly more centralized first syllable; ensure /juː/ is maintained. All share the /kjuː/ onset and final /zd/ cluster. IPA references: /əˈkjuːzd/ US/UK/AU.
"The man accused of theft appeared in court yesterday."
"Several witnesses testified against the accused during the trial."
"She accused him of bias, but offered no evidence."
"The community debated how to treat the accused while awaiting judgment."
Accused derives from classical Latin accusare, meaning to call to account or blame. The Late Latin form accusare combined ad- (toward) with causa (case, reason), evolving in legal and rhetorical contexts to mean to formally charge with blame. In English, the word entered medieval legal discourse and then broadened into general usage for someone who has been charged or alleged to have committed a crime. The pronunciation drifted from LATIN-based strings like -cuss- to the modern -cu- pronunciation, with the final -ed forming a voiced -d ending in most dialects because the root ends with a voiced consonant /z/ or /dʒ/ in its past participle form. First known English attestations appear in legal and ecclesiastical documents from the 14th–15th centuries, aligning with the rise of standardized courtroom language. Over time, the term broadened to include metaphorical accusations in social and political language, while retaining the formal nuance of “charged.” Today, accused is highly recognizable across varieties of English, often concerned with the legal-ethical framing of due process. Its morphology—prefix ad- + causa + -ed—reflects a long history of legal labeling and blame attribution, with the noun-adjective-use emerging as the same form in different syntactic roles.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "accused" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "accused" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "accused"
-sed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as ə-KYOOZD with primary stress on the second syllable. The phonetic sequence is /əˈkjuːzd/ in US/UK/AUS. Start with a relaxed schwa in the first syllable, then a rounded palatal onset /kj/ joining to the /uː/ vowel and the final /zd/ cluster. Your mouth should form a light /k/ release, then the /juː/ as a single glide, followed by a voiced alveolar /z/ and /d/ for the ending. Visualize licensing the “kyooz” sound: k + y + oo + zed.” ,
Two frequent errors: (1) treating it as a plain /æ/ or /ə/ + /kjuːzd/ with weak /juː/—notably forgetting the palatal glide. (2) De-voicing the final /zd/ to /z/ or /d/, making it sound like /-kjuːzd/ instead of /-kjuːzd/ with clear voiced /z/ and /d/. Correction: keep the /z/ and /d/ voicing and release, and maintain a full /juː/ after /k/. Practice minimal pair: accused vs. a-kyoozd (sounding like “arched” if rushed). Pay attention to the syllable boundary: ac-CUSED with the “kyooz” cluster clearly integrated.
In US/UK/AU, primary stress remains on the second syllable /ˈkjuːzd/ with schwa in the first syllable. Minor differences: US often reduces the first syllable more (ə), while UK may show slightly tighter /juː/ and crisper /z/ vs /d/. Australian English tends toward a more centralized vowel for the first syllable and a somewhat longer /juː/ duration before /z d/. The rhoticity doesn’t affect this word much since the /r/ is not present, but vowel length and intonation may tilt slightly with sentence rhythm.
The difficulty centers on the +juː/ glide sequence after the /k/ and the final /zd/ cluster, which requires precise voicing and sibilant timing in rapid speech. The first syllable is reduced, so listeners must still perceive the /kj/ combination and the transition into /uː/ before /zd/. In fast or careful speech, the /k/ release plus /j/ onset can blur, turning into /kju/ or /kjuzd/ with a weaker /z/ or /d/. Practicing the /kj/ onset and maintaining the /zd/ cluster distinctly helps clarity.
A noteworthy feature is the strong palatal glide sequence /kjuː/ following /ə/. The string /kjuːz/ links the hard /k/ to the long /uː/ vowel and the voiced /z/ early before the final /d/. This combination can be tricky in faster speech because the /j/ phoneme blends into the /uː/ vowel. You’ll benefit from isolating the /kj/ transition with a practice drill that starts with /k/ then adds the /j/ and the /uː/ before the /z/ and /d/.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "accused"!
- Shadowing: listen to a news clip featuring the word accused and replay, trying to imitate the speaker’s intonation and timing. - Minimal pairs: accused vs ackused (not common; use accents), or accused vs aqused (phonemic contrasts show /juː/ vs /ə/). - Rhythm: practice as ac-CUSED with a strong secondary beat after the first syllable; count 1-2-3-4 to align stress. - Stress patterns: use a slow reading then natural conversation; emphasis on /ˈkjuːzd/ while keeping the first syllable relaxed. - Recording: record yourself saying accused in sentences; compare with a native sample; adjust the /z/ and /d/ voice on the final cluster.
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