Agreed is the past participle of agree, meaning that two or more people share a conclusion or consent to a proposal. It implies mutual assent or confirmation of a decision, often following discussion. In broader use, it denotes concurrence and acknowledgment of a statement or plan, typically expressed in spoken or written form.
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- Common phonetic challenges: 1) First-syllable schwa reduction: many speakers shorten or omit the ‘ə’, making it sound like ‘agreed’ with a stronger first vowel. Correction: keep a clear, relaxed schwa and anchor the stress on the second syllable. 2) /gr/ consonant cluster: some say ‘agr-eed’ with an intrusive vowel between /g/ and /r/. Correction: ensure /gr/ is contiguous and the /r/ begins immediately after the /g/. 3) Final /d/ release: the /d/ may be dropped in casual speech or not released fully. Correction: finish with a crisp /d/, not a voiced stop that bleeds into preceding sounds. 4) Vowel length: /iː/ should be long; shortening makes it sound less confident. Correction: sustain /iː/ for a beat longer than you expect in casual talk. 5) Stress misplacement in fast speech: some say “a-GREED” or “ag-REED” incorrectly. Correction: keep primary stress on the second syllable. Overall, practice with minimal pairs and slow-to-fast progression to cement the two-syllable rhythm.
- US: /əˈɡriːd/ with a clear schwa; keep /iː/ relatively long, but don’t overdo it in rapid speech. - UK: /əˈɡriːd/ with slightly crisper /d/ and marginally tighter vowel quality; rhythm remains two syllables, stress on second. - AU: /əˈɡriːd/ similar to UK but with a more relaxed jaw; vowel quality slightly broader and /iː/ may be a touch shorter in casual speech. In all accents, rhoticity is minimal in the ending; the final /d/ should be released. Reference IPA for all: əˈɡriːd. - Tips: practice with minimal pairs like “agreed” vs. “a greed” to keep the cluster intact; use tongue-tip contact for /d/ without voicing bleed, and avoid adding an extra vowel between /g/ and /r/.
"We all nodded and agreed to proceed with the plan."
"The committee agreed that the deadline should be moved up by a week."
"She agreed to help with the project after reviewing the details."
"If no one objects, we’ll agreed to the proposed terms."
Agree comes from Old French agreer, from Latin ad-gredior ‘to go toward, accord with,’ from ad- ‘toward’ + gredior ‘to step, walk’. The past participle agreed retains the sense of coming to terms or meeting minds. The term began in Middle English via Norman influence, evolving from a notion of approaching or aligning opinions to a formal sense of consensus. In Early Modern English, to agree meant to be in accord on a matter, with the participle agreed used to describe someone who has reached that consensus. The word gained frequent use in legal, contractual, and parliamentary language, where mutual assent is essential. Over time, “agreed” also assumed idiomatic uses, such as agreeing to terms, plans, or statements, and can appear as a standalone response indicating consent. First known written attestations appear in 12th–15th century legal Latin-to-French renderings, with English texts adopting the form through the 14th century. In contemporary English, it carries both formal and informal tones, depending on context and intonation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "agreed" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "agreed"
-eed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as ə-GREED, with primary stress on the second syllable. The first syllable is a schwa; the second is a long /iː/ followed by /d/. In IPA: US/UK/AU: əˈɡriːd. In connected speech, the /ɡr/ cluster is tight; you should avoid inserting extra vowels between /ə/ and /ɡriːd/. Audio hints: keep your tongue high for /riː/ and gently release into /d/.
Two common errors are pronouncing it as ‘a-greed’ with a reduced first vowel or inserting an extra syllable as in ‘ag-ree-d.’ Correct it by using a clear schwa in the first syllable (ə) and maintaining a single, crisp /riːd/ with final /d/. Another mistake is misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable; ensure stress sits on the second syllable: ə-GREED.
In US English, the /ə/ is a neutral schwa and the /riːd/ is pronounced with a slightly drawn-out /iː/. UK English keeps a similar pattern but may have a tighter jaw and crisper /d/ at the end. Australian English often has a slightly shorter /iː/ and a broader vowel quality in /ə/ but still retains the stressed /riːd/ syllable. The key is maintaining the two-syllable rhythm with secondary consonant clarity in /gr/ cluster.
Because of the /gr/ cluster after a front, weak vowel. The transition from a neutral schwa to the heavy /riːd/ requires precise timing: the tongue moves from a relaxed mouth position to a high-front position for /iː/ while ensuring the /d/ is released cleanly without phonemic intrusion. Mastering timing, lip rounding, and avoiding vowel dilution in rapid speech is essential.
Yes—your primary cue is the vowel length on /iː/. In careful speech, you’ll extend the /iː/ slightly to signal firmness of agreement, especially after a series of proposals. The /ə/ should remain relaxed and quick, not overtly pronounced. In fast conversation, you may hear subtle vowel reduction; keep the /riːd/ portion salient to preserve meaning.
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- Shadowing: listen to native speakers saying ‘agreed’ in sentences and mirror their rhythm, keeping the two-syllable stress pattern. - Minimal pairs: practice against phrases like ‘a greed’ (unrelated) to ensure you don’t insert extra vowels; also contrast with ‘agreed’ vs. ‘agreed to’ in connected speech. - Rhythm practice: mark the beat between /ə/ and /ɡriːd/ and clap on each syllable to reinforce two-beat rhythm. - Stress practice: emphasize the second syllable with a slightly longer duration; practice saying ‘it was aGREEd’ with emphasis on /riːd/. - Syllable drills: practice /ə/ + /ɡriːd/ with gradual speed increases. - Speed progression: slow (articulator positions), normal (natural speed), fast (maintain clarity). - Context sentences: 1) “If no objections, we’re agreed.” 2) “We’re agreed to proceed with the upgrade.” 3) “Are we agreed on the timeline?” - Recording: record yourself and compare with native samples; focus on interference from adjacent sounds.
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