One syllable: clipped.
klipt
/klɪpt/
clipped is pronounced klipt (/klɪpt/). It has one syllable (clipped), with the stress on "clipped". Clipped is the past tense and past participle of clip, meaning fastened, trimmed, or curtailed, often with a sharp or abrupt sound. In pronunciation terms, it can describe a short, brisk articulation of a word or syllable, typically with reduced vowel length. The term also labels a brisk, concise speaking style, not drawn-out vowels.
Clipped is the past tense and past participle of clip, meaning fastened, trimmed, or curtailed, often with a sharp or abrupt sound. In pronunciation terms, it can describe a short, brisk articulation of a word or syllable, typically with reduced vowel length. The term also labels a brisk, concise speaking style, not drawn-out vowels.
- Mispronounce final /t/ as a voiceless stop with too much aspiration, making it sound like ‘clipt’ with a pop; instead, aim for a quick, light release and a short /t/ closure. - Overlengthening the vowel /ɪ/ or inserting a vowel before /p/; keep the vowel short and move quickly to /p/. - Running the final /t/ into the next word, causing an intrusive vowel; practice with a hard stop to avoid nasalization or vowel leakage. - In rapid speech, you may hear /klɪpt/ reduced to /klɪp/ or /klɪt/; ensure the /p/ and /t/ are both heard when emphasis is needed, or practice with a slight aspiration on /p/ and crisp /t/ release to keep the cluster intact.
"- The sailor clipped the rope neatly and secured it to the cleat."
"- Her clipped response indicated impatience and no room for discussion."
"- The wind clipped the sails, pushing the boat faster."
/klɪpt/ with a short, brisk vowel in the first syllable and a crisp, unreleased final consonant /pt/. Stress on the single syllable word. Lips start rounded slightly for /l/ then neutral for /ɪ/, tongue relaxed, and the /p/ is a quick, aspirated stop followed by a clear /t/. In careful speech, avoid vowel lengthening; keep the vowel near the short /ɪ/ quality. IPA: US /klɪpt/, UK /klɪpt/, AU /klɪpt/.
Common mistakes include: (1) prolonging the /ɪ/ to a lax /ɪː/ or /iː/ sound, which makes it sound like ‘clept’; (2) adding an extra vowel between /p/ and /t/ (e.g., /klɪ-pt/ or /klɪ-pə/); (3) failing to complete the final /t/ with a crisp release, making it sound like /klɪp/ or /klɪptɪ/; Minor advice: keep the /p/ and /t/ as clean, unreleased or lightly released clusters; stop the vowel before the /p/ and snap the /t/.
In US English, /klɪpt/ is typically shorter in vowel length and the /t/ is a clear, unaspirated to lightly aspirated, sometimes with a final unreleased stop in rapid speech. UK English often exhibits crisper final /t/ articulation with slightly less vowel reduction in some dialects, though many speakers also produce a short /ɪ/ and a stopped /t/. Australian English commonly features even more alveolar flaps in rapid speech, with a very brief /ɪ/ and a final /t/ that can be unreleased; rhoticity is less relevant since /r/ isn’t present in this word, but vowel quality can be more centralized. IPA references: US /klɪpt/, UK /klɪpt/, AU /klɪpt/.
The difficulty comes from the final consonant cluster /pt/: the abrupt transition from a bilabial /p/ to a voiceless alveolar /t/ requires precise timing and a rapid tongue movement. Additionally, maintaining a short, lax /ɪ/ in stressed syllables while preventing any vowel lengthening can be challenging, especially in rapid speech where speakers sometimes insert a schwa or lengthen the vowel for ease. To master it, focus on a crisp /p/ release followed immediately by a clean /t/ closure, with minimal vowel duration.
No; clipped has no silent letters. Every letter corresponds to a sound: /k/ as in ‘kill’, /l/ as in ‘light’, /ɪ/ as in ‘sit’, /p/ as in ‘pat’, and /t/ as in ‘top’. The cluster /pt/ is typically realized as a brief sequence with a stop closure, not silent letters. The main challenge is executing the fast, clean transitions between /p/ and /t/ without adding a vowel or voicing the stops.
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- US: Maintain a short /ɪ/ and a lightly aspirated /p/ followed by a crisp /t/. Use slight vowel reduction in fast speech without losing the /t/ clarity. - UK: Similar to US but some speakers drop the effort on the /t/, producing a very crisp final stop; avoid adding a second syllable. - AU: Might feature a slightly more centralized /ɪ/; keep final /t/ clear but allow a tiny amount of glottalization in casual speech. IPA references: /klɪpt/ for all. - General tip: keep the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /t/ and /d/ contexts, but avoid alveolar assimilation that could blur the cluster.
Clipped comes from clip, which has Old English scopian? No, from Old English clippian? Let me provide accurate etymology: The noun clip derives from Middle English clipen, clippet? The verb clip originally meant to strike or cut, with Old English clippan meaning to cut or dash. By the 14th–15th centuries clip also meant a quick motion or a certain rate, later giving the sense of cutting off or trimming. The sense related to sound quality—short, abrupt consonants or vowels—developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, paralleling phonetic descriptions of clipped speech (shortened vowels and brisk articulation). The past tense “clipped” follows standard English strong/weak verb patterns, formed regularly with -ed. First known uses are found in Middle English writings discussing trimming or cutting aspects, with extended usage into “clipped speech” as a descriptor for terse delivery in modern English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "clipped" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "clipped" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "clipped"
-ped sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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