2 syllables: be, trayed. Stress on trayed.
bit-RAYD
/bɪˈtɹeɪd/
betrayed is pronounced bit-RAYD (/bɪˈtɹeɪd/). It has two syllables (be-trayed), with the stress on "trayed". Betrayed is the past participle and past tense of betray, meaning to have violated trust or exposed someone’s secrets. It denotes an act of treachery or disloyalty and is often used to describe someone who has revealed another’s secrets or betrayed a confidant. The word emphasizes a completed action with emotional weight and consequences.
Betrayed is the past participle and past tense of betray, meaning to have violated trust or exposed someone’s secrets. It denotes an act of treachery or disloyalty and is often used to describe someone who has revealed another’s secrets or betrayed a confidant. The word emphasizes a completed action with emotional weight and consequences.
"She felt betrayed when her friends shared her private letter."
"The spy betrayed his country by leaking confidential files."
"He felt betrayed after the partnership was dissolved without warning."
Pronounce it as be-TRAYD, with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /bɪˈtreɪd/. Start with /b/ using both lips, then /ɪ/ as a quick lax vowel, then /ˈtreɪ/ where /t/ is a light aspirated stop, and /reɪ/ forms the diphthong, closing with /d/. In rapid speech, it links smoothly from /bɪ/ to /ˈtreɪd/ as /bɪˈtreɪd/.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress as be-TRAYED vs be-TRAY-ED; keep the primary stress on the second syllable. (2) Rendering /ɪ/ as a full /iː/ or a schwa; use a short relaxed /ɪ/. (3) Slurring the /t/ into the following /r/ or not releasing the /t/ enough; ensure a clear /t/ before /r/; (4) Mispronouncing the /eɪ/ diphthong as /e/ or /iː/. Correction: use /eɪ/ with a crisp glide to /d/.
US: /bɪˈtreɪd/ with rhoticity; the /ɹ/ is a rhotic approximant in many environments. UK: /bɪˈtreɪd/ with non-rhotic tendencies in some accents; the /ə/ or /ɪ/ in the first syllable may be less reduced. AU: /bɪˈtreɪd/ similar to US but with Australian vowel qualities; may exhibit a more centralized or slightly raised /ɪ/ and a more pronounced final syllable boundary in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the diphthong /eɪ/ coupled with a fast transition from /t/ to /r/ in many dialects, and then ending with a clear /d/. Speakers may misplace stress, blur the /t/ release, or merge sounds in rapid speech. Proper articulation requires a crisp /t/, a distinct /reɪ/ vowel sequence, and a final /d/ release, with careful attention to tongue position and air flow to avoid a softened or slurred ending.
The unique feature is the strong, stressed diphthong /eɪ/ in the second syllable after the /tr/ cluster. The /t/ release should be audible, and the following /r/ should be tightly connected but not intrusive. Because the word ends with /d/, the mouth closes rapidly after the /eɪ/ glide. Paying attention to the final /d/ release and avoiding a trailing /ɪ/ helps maintain natural pronunciation.
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Betrayed comes from the verb betray, which traces to Old French trair (to hand over, to deliver) and trover (to find, to discover) through the Latin tradere (to hand over, to surrender). The English form betray emerged in the 13th–14th centuries, incorporating -ed to signal past tense. The core sense centers on handing over or delivering something or someone to an enemy or danger, evolving to emphasize the breach of trust and treachery that follows disclosure or disloyalty. By the 17th century, betray carried strong emotional weight in literature, highlighting personal violation and sin of deceit. Over time, betray also came to describe situations where information, feelings, or loyalties were disclosed or compromised, extending beyond mere physical handing over to include betrayal of confidences or expectations. Today, betray retains its moral nuance, often paired with betrayal of trust, loyalty, or promises in both everyday speech and dramatic contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "betrayed" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "betrayed"
-yed sounds
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