Attempted is the adjective or verb form meaning tried or made an effort, typically indicating something done with some level of effort or intention but possibly not completed. In formal usage it often precedes outcomes or actions (e.g., an attempted escape), while in conversation it can describe a tentative or incomplete effort. The pronunciation carries a stressed second syllable in the adjective form in many contexts.
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- You often misplace the stress, saying a-TEMPTed; remember the stress is on TEMPT (the second syllable when used as adjective or verb form in past participle). - The final -ed can be rushed; practice a crisp /ɪd/ or /d/ to avoid blending it into TEMPT. - The /t/ in TEMPT is a t-plosive; in rapid speech you may voice it or inhale too soon; focus on a crisp stop before the final -ed and avoid an intrusive /ɹ/ or /h/ in American speech.
- US: clear rhotic schwa, slight flap /ɾ/ rarely; TEMPT remains strong; final -ed as /ɪd/ or /d/ depending on speed. - UK: non-rhotic; final /ed/ more often realized as /t/ or /ɪd/ depending on dialect; TEMPT keeps clear vowel. - AU: more centralized vowels; final /ɪd/ preserved in careful speech, but contracted in fast mode. Use IPA /əˈtɛmptɪd/ as baseline for comparison; adapt vowel lengths to local norms.
"The attempted burglary was thwarted by a quick response."
"Her attempted explanation missed the point but showed she was trying to help."
"Police described the suspect as having made an attempted escape."
"An attempted cure is not guaranteed to work, but it’s worth trying."
Attempted derives from the verb attempt, from Old French atteindre ‘to reach, attain’ (from Latin ad-tangere ‘to touch, reach’) and the early sense of ‘to make an effort’. In Middle English, the form atte-mpted emerges as a past participle of attempte or similar spellings, reflecting a notion of ‘trying toward’ something. The modern spelling consolidated in the 16th century into attempted, with the -ed suffix signaling past tense or past participle when used as an adjective. The semantic shift centers on the act of trying rather than succeeding, with the participial use becoming a common modifier in legal, literary, and everyday language. First known use as a participial adjective can be traced to early modern English legal and literary documents, where phrases like “an attempted theft” appeared to describe the activity rather than the outcome. Over time, the word broadened to describe both actions and states of trying across verb phrases (e.g., attempted to escape) and standalone adjectives (e.g., an attempted recovery). In contemporary usage, attempted signals intentionality and incompletion, and it frequently collocates with nouns denoting actions or outcomes.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "attempted" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "attempted" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "attempted"
-ted sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as ə-TEMPT-ed (US/UK: əˈtɛmptɪd in most dialects). The main stress falls on the second syllable: TEMPT. Start with a schwa, then the stressed TEMPT cluster, and finish with a light -ed as a separate syllable. In careful speech, the final -ed is pronounced as /ɪd/; in faster speech it may reduce to /d/ or even vanish in some contexts. Visualize: uh-TEMPT-id with a crisp /t/ release before the final syllable. IPA: US/UK: /əˈtɛmptɪd/.
Two frequent errors: 1) Misplacing the stress, saying a-TEMPTed instead of ə-TEMPT-ed, which weakens the intended emphasis. 2) Slurring the /t/ or replacing the /tɪd/ ending with a simple /d/ or /t/ without the light -ɪd. Correction: maintain clear /t/ release into a short, unstressed /ɪd/ or /əd/; keep the /t/ audible before the final /ɪd/. Practice with a slight pause between TEMPT and -ed to preserve the two-syllable rhythm.
US/UK/AU share /əˈtɛmptɪd/ in many contexts, but rhotic differences affect the initial rless schwa in US vs non-rhotic UK. In US you may hear a clearer /ɹ/ influence in rapid speech, slightly diphthongizing the /ə/ before TEMPT. UK accents often retain clearer final /ed/ as /ɪd/ or a palatalized final depending on dialect. Australian tends toward a compact final -ed with reduced schwa in fast speech. Keep the middle /ɛmpt/ stable, but be mindful of vowel quality shifts /ə/ vs /ɪ/ in final syllable.
The difficulty centers on the multisyllabic rhythm and the cluster /tɛmpt/ followed by a light /ɪd/. It’s easy to compress the middle containing a tense /pt/ cluster, or to fuse -ed with previous syllable, producing /ɪd/ or /d/ blends that blur the word’s two-syllable prominence. The word requires precise timing: stress on TEMPT, crisp /t/ release, and a distinct, lightly reduced final /ɪd/. Practice by isolating TEMPT and the -ed portion, then blend in fluent speech.
In connected speech, the initial schwa can be reduced further when the word is not stressed, sometimes sounding like /ə/ or even a quicker /ɪ/ depending on rhythm. The middle TEMPT remains clearly stressed; the trailing -ed is often reduced to /d/ or /ɪd/ with just enough voicing to signal the boundary. This uniqueness matters: maintaining the two-syllable structure while allowing natural reduction in casual speech helps you sound fluent and natural.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "attempted"!
- Shadowing: listen to native speech of attempted in context; imitate 10-15 seconds, matching stress and rhythm. - Minimal pairs: attempt vs a-tempt? (not many) focus on TEMPT cluster; practice with tempted /ˈtɛmptɪd/ to compare final -ed. - Rhythm: tap the beat on TEMPT; slow to normal to fast; maintain two-syllable structure even in rapid speech. - Intonation: use falling intonation after the word in statements; rising with questions if appropriate. - Stress practice: emphasize TEMPT; hold the syllable longer than the others. - Recording: record and compare to native samples; adjust mouth position if transitions are unclear.
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