kuhn-SPEYE-urd
/kənˈspaɪɚd/
conspired is pronounced kuhn-SPEYE-urd (/kənˈspaɪɚd/). Conspired is the past tense of conspire, meaning to secretly planning or scheme with others to commit wrongdoing. It conveys collaboration in a covert plan, often tied to unlawful or deceitful intent. In usage, it describes actions taken together in a purposeful, sometimes clandestine way, typically implying intent and agreement among parties.
Conspired is the past tense of conspire, meaning to secretly planning or scheme with others to commit wrongdoing. It conveys collaboration in a covert plan, often tied to unlawful or deceitful intent. In usage, it describes actions taken together in a purposeful, sometimes clandestine way, typically implying intent and agreement among parties.
- You may flatten the diphthong in the stressed syllable, saying /kənˈspaɪrd/ instead of /kənˈspaɪərd/. Correct by drawing out the mid-vowel /ɪə/ as a short glide between /aɪ/ and /ər/ before the final /d/. - Another error is misplacing final consonants, producing /-spird/ or dropping the /ər/ vowel before the /d/. Practice saying /-ˈspaɪərd/ clearly, then attach the /d/ without a glottal stop. - Some speakers insert an extra vowel between the /r/ and /d/ as in /-spaɪərəd/; avoid this by ending with a tight /ərd/ cluster. - In connected speech, they may run the /ən/ into the next word; practice with pauses or linking: /kən 'spaɪərd/ to minimize slurring.
"They conspired to steal the artwork before the gallery opened."
"Rumors circulated that a group of officials had conspired to fix the election."
"The two programmers conspired to introduce a backdoor into the software."
Pronunciation is /kənˈspaɪərd/ in US and UK; the stress sits on the second syllable. Start with the weak form /kən/ (kuh-n), then the stressed /ˈspaɪər/ (spye-er) followed by the /d/ at the end. Tip: make a clean glide from /aɪə/ to /ərd/ with a brief voicing; avoid turning it into /-aɪrd/ or /-spaɪr-d/ with an extra vowel. Audio references: Cambridge and Forvo offer native examples.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the stress, saying /kənˈspai-rd/ with incorrect emphasis on the first syllable; (2) Dropping or altering the /ɪər/ sequence, producing /spaɪrd/ or /spaɪrd/ without the mid glide. Correction: keep the /ˈspaɪər/ diphthong together, and finish with a clear final /d/. Practice by isolating the middle /ˈspaɪər/ chunk and then add the /d/.
US: /kənˈspaɪərd/ with rhoticity; UK: /kənˈspaɪəd/ with a slightly more centralized ending; AU: often /kənˈspaiəd/ with a flatter /ə/ and non-rhotic tendency in some speakers. The main vowel in the stressed syllable remains the diphthong /aɪə/; non-rhotic UK variants might reduce the /r/ in the final cluster, while US typically pronounces it as /ərd/.
The difficulty centers on the mid diphthong /aɪə/ in the stressed syllable and the final /ərd/ or /ərd/ cluster, which can be misrendered as /-aɪrd/ or /-spaɪənd/. Also, the sequence /n- sp-/ demands a quick, crisp transition without inserting extra vowels. Mastery requires practicing the bilabial-to-palatal shift and the schwa-like ending to avoid an overemphasized or staccato final sound.
Yes. People often search for tips on the exact /ˈspaɪər/ diphthong and the final /d/ in past tense. Providing IPA, stress placement, and audio cues helps SEO by aligning with search intents like 'pronounce conspired' or 'how to say conspired' and by including common mispronunciation corrections.
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US: pronounce /ˈspaɪər/ with a clear rhotic ending on the second syllable; UK: /ˈspaɪəd/ with a slightly reduced r-color and lighter /ə/; AU: /ˈspaɪəd/ with flatter vowels and less conspicuous /r/. IPA: US /kənˈspaɪərd/, UK /kənˈspaɪəd/, AU /kənˈspaɪəd/. Distinguish the /ɪə/ sequence and aim for a concise, smooth glide; keep /d/ crisp but not overemphasized.
Conspired derives from the Latin con- (together) + spira (breath, coil) root of spirare meaning to breathe, hence “to breathe together” in the sense of agreeing or plotting. The word passed into Middle English via Old French conspirer, retaining the sense of plotting with others. Early uses in English literature emphasize the idea of joint planning under cover, often with criminal overtones. The modern sense solidified around the 16th-17th centuries as legal and political language began to treat collective plots or schemes as formal actions. The component con- remains a common Latin prefix in English for “together,” while spir- or spire is ultimately related to breathing, as if collaborators metaphorically breathe in unison to conceive a plan. First known uses appear in judicial and political texts, where conspiracies against rulers or regimes were discussed, gradually expanding to general use for any secret planning among two or more people.
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Words that rhyme with "conspired"
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