Annexed is the past participle of annex, meaning to add or attach something, especially territory or a document, to a larger unit. It is commonly used in legal, political, or historical contexts to indicate that something has been formally joined or incorporated. The pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable, and the final -ed is pronounced as /t/ after the voiceless /k/ sound, yielding /əˈnekst/.
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- You’ll often hear people mispronounce annEXed as /ˈæ nɛkst/ with stress on the first syllable. Solution: keep the second syllable stressed and use a short, neutral /ə/ in the first syllable. - The final -ed is commonly pronounced as /ɪd/ or /əd/ by learners; here it should be /st/. Practice reading aloud in careful speech and then in rapid speech to cement the /t/ and /st/ sound, not a /d/ or /tɪd/. - The /n/ often blends poorly with /ɛ/; aim for a clean /n/ then a crisp /ɛk/; avoid an elongated vowel before /k/. Tips: practice with minimal pairs: annexed vs annexed (ambiguous). Record yourself and compare to a native model to adjust the second syllable timing.
- US: emphasize the second syllable with a clear /ɛ/ as in /əˈnɛkst/; keep the /r/ neutral (non-rhoticity not relevant here). - UK: can be slightly tighter; /əˈnɛkst/ with shorter vowels and crisper /kst/; keep the final /t/ unvoiced. - AU: broader vowel in the first syllable and similar /kst/ ending; slight rounding on the /ə/ depending on speaker. Always aim for the primary stress on syllable 2 and a precise /k/ immediately before /s/. IPA references: US /əˈnɛkst/; UK /əˈneks t/; AU /əˈneks t/; remember the final /t/ should be aspirated in careful speech.
"The country annexed the neighboring territory in the late 19th century."
"Several clauses were annexed to the agreement to clarify responsibilities."
"The city annexed new zoning areas to accommodate growth."
"After the vote, the region was annexed into the metropolitan borough."
Annex comes from the Latin annexus, from ad- (‘to’) + nexus (‘a connection, binding’). The term entered English via Old French annexe in the medieval period, carrying the sense of attaching or adding something to a main body. By the 14th–17th centuries, annex acquired broader legal and political freight, describing formal attachment of territory, monasteries, or appendices to documents. The modern past participle annexed surfaced in the legalistic and administrative registers of the 18th and 19th centuries, maintaining the core idea of something being appended or integrated, now with a formal, often governmental connotation. The evolution mirrors shifting bureaucratic needs: initial physical attachment, then jurisdictional or symbolic incorporation, and finally codified in treaties, statutes, and maps. First known usages are found in Latin-influenced legal English texts, with attestations in early modern diplomatic records where territories and clauses were annexéd to larger sovereign statements. Overall, annexed conveys deliberate extension with formal consequence in governance or property contexts.
💡 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 "annexed" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "annexed" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "annexed"
-xed 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 uh-NEKST with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA for US: /əˈnɛkst/ (the second syllable contains the /nɛk/ cluster and ends with /st/. UK: typically /əˈneks t/ in careful speech, still with primary stress on the second syllable; Australians often retain /əˈneks t/ with slightly clearer enunciation of the final /t/. Visualize syllables: a - NEX - ed. Start with a schwa followed by a stressed, plosive-rich second syllable; the final -ed is a /t/ after voiceless consonants.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (stressing the first syllable), sounding the second syllable as /ˈæ-nɛkst/ rather than /əˈnɛkst/, and adding an unnecessary vowel before the final /t/ (saying /-tɪd/ or /-ɪd/). Correct these by: keeping the schwa in the first syllable, delivering a crisp /nɛk/ in the second, and saying a clean /st/ at the end without extra vowels. Practice with word-by-word drills and cap the final /t/ firmly to avoid a voiced ending.
US: /əˈnɛkst/ with clear /æ/ or /ɛ/ in the second vowel depending on speaker. UK: /əˈnɛkst/ more clipped, less vowel length on the second syllable, still rhotic? typically non-rhotic in careful speech, but many speakers drop the r naturally in connected speech. AU: /əˈnɛkst/ similar to UK with broader vowels and a tendency toward slightly longer vowel duration in the second syllable. Core feature is the second-syllable stress and /k/+/st/ cluster; non-rhoticity is variable.
The key challenges are the consonant cluster /k/ + /st/ at the end and the initial unstressed schwa. The rapid transition from /ə/ to /nɛk/ can be tense, and many speakers add an epenthetic vowel or mispronounce the /k/ as /g/ in fast speech. Focus on sustaining a short, unstressed first syllable, then delivering the strong /nɛkst/ with a crisp /k/ immediately followed by /st/. IPA cues: /əˈnɛkst/.
The word's audible cue rests on the strong second-syllable stress and the compact final /kst/ cluster. Unlike many verbs and past participles, annexed retains a clean, voiceless /t/ ending rather than a voiced /d/ in careful speech. It’s not about a silent letter, but about precise articulation of /nɛkst/ after the unstressed first syllable, which can be tricky when speaking quickly or in connected discourse. IPA: /əˈnɛkst/.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "annexed"!
- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker say annexed in a sentence and mirror the exact cadence, pausing just after the /t/; do 6–8 repetitions. - Minimal pairs: annexed vs annex (stress shift changes meaning); annexed vs annexation (different word class, stress pattern). - Rhythm practice: practice in phrases like “and annexed documents,” focusing on tight transitions between /n/ and /ɛk/. - Stress practice: drill the second syllable; clap or tap on –NEX– and hold; keep first syllable short (schwa). - Recording: record yourself reading 5 sentences using annexed; compare to a native speaker and adjust. - Contextual practice: use annexed in legal/academic sentences to reinforce register and pronunciation in natural flow.
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