3 syllables: col, li, ded. Stress on li.
kuh-LEYE-did
/kəˈlaɪdɪd/
collided is pronounced kuh-LEYE-did (/kəˈlaɪdɪd/). It has three syllables (col-li-ded), with the stress on "li". Collided is the past tense verb meaning to come into forceful contact with something while moving, typically resulting in impact. It often implies an unplanned or accidental meeting or crash, and is used in contexts like accidents, experiments, or metaphorical clashes. The word emphasizes the moment of contact rather than the aftermath.
Collided is the past tense verb meaning to come into forceful contact with something while moving, typically resulting in impact. It often implies an unplanned or accidental meeting or crash, and is used in contexts like accidents, experiments, or metaphorical clashes. The word emphasizes the moment of contact rather than the aftermath.
- You might flatten the /laɪ/ into /lɪ/ or merge the /d/ with the following /ɪd/, producing /ˈlɪdɪd/; ensure the diphthong remains clear and separate from the final /dɪd/. - Another error is misplacing stress as 'col-LID-ed' instead of 'col-LI-ded'; remember the primary stress lands on the second syllable. Practice by saying 'co-LI-ded' with emphasis on /laɪ/. - Some learners skip or blur the final /d/ before the /ɪd/ ending, resulting in a silent or weak /d/; practice a strong alveolar stop before the ending /ɪd/ to avoid /ˈlaɪdɪ/.
"The two cars collided at the junction, causing a scene of chaos."
"During the demonstration, the magnets collided, scattering metal shavings everywhere."
"If the ideas collide, you might see a productive clash that leads to innovation."
You say /kəˈlaɪdɪd/. The primary stress is on the second syllable: 'col-LID-ed.' Start with a light schwa in the first syllable, then the long diphthong /aɪ/ as in 'die,' followed by a crisp /d/ and a final /ɪd/ or /ɪd/ depending on speaker. Use a quick, clean release for the /d/ before the ending /ɪd/.
Common errors include misplacing stress (saying col-LI-ded) or turning /laɪ/ into /lɪə/ and mispronouncing the final cluster as /dɪd/ vs /dɪ/. Another frequent issue is not fully releasing the /d/ before the /ɪd/ ending, making it sound like /dɪ/ or /dɛd/. To correct: emphasize the /laɪ/ with a clear, rounded /ɪ/ in the ending and ensure the /d/ is released crisply before the /ɪd/.
In US and UK, the core is /kəˈlaɪdɪd/: rhoticity affects only preceding vowel nuances in connected speech; the /ɪ/ in -ed tends to be a schwa or a short crisp /ɪ/. Australian pronunciation often features a slightly broader vowel in /ə/ and a less tense /ɪ/ in the final syllable, but generally keeps /ˈlaɪ/ stressed similarly. The main differences come from vowel quality in the first syllable and the exact diphthong duration before the final /dɪd/.
The difficulty lies in the two consonant clusters around /laɪ/ and the final /dɪd/ sequence, which requires maintaining a crisp /d/ before the /ɪd/ ending and ensuring the /laɪ/ diphthong flows smoothly from the unstressed first syllable. The combination of schwa initial, a strong diphthong, and a final alveolar stop with a precise release can be challenging for non-native speakers and even some native speakers when fluent in rapid speech.
A distinctive feature is the strong, stressed /laɪ/ in the second syllable, which must be clearly separated from the preceding schwa and the following /dɪd/. This makes the rhythm 'kə- LI-dəd' in fast speech. Ensuring a crisp /d/ before the /ɪd/ ending helps prevent merging into /də/ or /dɪ/.
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- US: Slightly stronger rhotics can affect the preceding schwa, but overall /kəˈlaɪdɪd/ remains similar; aim for a clear /ə/ in the first syllable, a prominent /laɪ/ diphthong, then a crisp /dɪd/. - UK: More precise articulation of the /ɪ/ in /dɪd/ with a marginally shorter schwa; stress pattern remains on /laɪ/. - AU: Similar to US/UK, with a slightly broader vowel quality; ensure the /ɪ/ in the final syllable is not centralized. - Common practice: rehearse with minimal pairs like collide vs collided, cold vs colled, to keep the /laɪ/ intact.
Collide comes from the Latin collidere, literally 'to strike together.' The root coll- means 'together,' and -idre (from -līdere, to strike) indicates the act of striking. In classical Latin, collidere described two objects coming into contact with force, not necessarily by intent. Through Old French as colider and French collision, the term migrated into Middle English by the 14th–15th centuries. The semantic field widened from literal physical impact to figurative clashes (ideas colliding, events colliding). The modern form collided appeared as the past tense/post-friendly participle by regular English conjugation, aligning with other -ed past tense verbs. Typical evolution tracks: Latin collidere → Old French colider → Middle English collide → modern English collided, with increased use in scientific and narrative contexts to describe concurrent events, crashes, or metaphorical clashes. First known uses in English tend to involve physical impacts in travel or construction contexts, later expanding to metaphorical and abstract collisions in journalism and literature. In contemporary usage, collided commonly collocates with terms like 'head-on,' 'accidentally,' 'massive,' or 'with force,' preserving both literal and figurative meanings. The word carries strong immediacy due to the sharp consonantal cluster /kɒlˈaɪd/ in many dialects and a stress pattern that guides emphasis on the second syllable in most analyses, 'col-LID-ed.'
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Words that rhyme with "collided"
-ded sounds
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