4 syllables: dis, sip, a, ted. Stress on dis.
DIS-uh-pay-tid
/ˈdɪsəˌpeɪtɪd/
dissipated is pronounced DIS-uh-pay-tid (/ˈdɪsəˌpeɪtɪd/). It has four syllables (dis-sip-a-ted), with the stress on "dis". Dissipated means dispersed or scattered; spent or squandered, especially in reference to energy, resources, or moral behavior. It describes something that has faded or wasted away through dispersion, or a person who lives an extravagant, self-indulgent lifestyle. The term often conveys a sense of dispersion over time or ruinous excess that diminishes value or integrity.
Dissipated means dispersed or scattered; spent or squandered, especially in reference to energy, resources, or moral behavior. It describes something that has faded or wasted away through dispersion, or a person who lives an extravagant, self-indulgent lifestyle. The term often conveys a sense of dispersion over time or ruinous excess that diminishes value or integrity.
- Common phonetic challenges: (1) Stress misplacement: second syllable must bear primary stress: dis-SI-pa-ted. (2) Diphthong clarity in the -ated ending: avoid reducing /eɪ/ to /e/ or /ɪ/; keep /eɪ/ before the final /d/. (3) Final -ed pronunciation: many say /dɪzɪˈpeɪtɪd/ or /dɪˈsɪpɪtɪd/; correct approach uses /teɪd/ at the end. Corrections: practice the three-syllable rhythm, emphasize /eɪ/ before the final /d/, and train a clean final /d/ without extra voicing. - Exercise: recite the word in isolation, then in phrases building to a sentence.
"The heat quickly dissipated as the shade cooled the room."
"After the party, his dissipated lifestyle caught up with him and he hit rock bottom."
"The fog began to dissipate once the sun rose higher."
You say /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/ in US and UK, with primary stress on the second syllable: dis-SIP-i-ted; the final suffix -ed is pronounced as a separate /t/ plus /ɪd/ in careful speech: /ˈdɪs.ɪˌpeɪ.tɪd/ or /ˌdɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.tɪd/. In rapid speech, it often sounds like /dɪˈsɪpɪteɪd/, with the /i/ of the third syllable reduced. Mouth position: start with a short, lax /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then a clearer /ɪ/ in the second, then /eɪ/ before /dɪd/ at the end.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress, saying dis-SI-pat-ed with wrong secondary stress; (2) Slurring the -i- in the third syllable into /ɪ/ or /ə/, producing /dɪˈsɪpətɪd/ rather than /dəˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/; (3) Dropping the final /d/ or turning -ed into /d/ or /ɪd/. Correction: keep the three-unit rhythm dis-SIP-i-ted, clearly articulating /teɪd/ at the end; ensure the /eɪ/ in the penultimate syllable is preserved before the final /d/. Use focused repetitions: /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/.
US typically /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/ with clear /eɪ/ and non-rhotacized /r/ irrelevant; UK similar but may have a slightly narrower /ɪ/ in first syllable and a more clipped /t/ before /ed/. AU shares US rhythm but may shift vowel qualities: /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/ with a flatter /i/ in the second syllable and a stronger final clipping of t. Overall rhoticity doesn’t impact this word much; the key differences lie in vowel quality and syllable length.
Three main challenges: (1) The three-syllable rhythm with a mid stress shift; (2) The long /eɪ/ in the penultimate syllable before the final -d; (3) Ending cluster -tɪd often realized as a light /t/ + /ɪd/; to master, practice the three-syllable sequence dis-SIP-i-teɪd with clear /eɪ/ and full final /d/. IPA cues: dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd, stress on 2nd syllable, final /teɪd/.
A unique feature is the vowel sequence in the penultimate syllable: -pi-ted ends with a controlled /eɪ/ before the final /d/, requiring a gliding from /i/ to /eɪ/. Mispronunciations often collapse the /eɪ/ to a short /e/ or /ɪ/; reinforcing the distinct long diphthong /eɪ/ improves accuracy and reduces mis-timed consonant closure.
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- US: Rhoticity not a major factor here; emphasize /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/ with a strong /teɪd/. - UK: Slightly crisper /t/ and more clipped vowels; maintain /eɪ/ before /d/. - AU: Vowels slightly flatter; maintain the diphthong /eɪ/ and clear /t/ release. IPA references: /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/ (US/UK), AU /dɪˈsɪp.iˌteɪd/; keep non-rhotic influence in careful enunciation.
Dissipated comes from the Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare, meaning to scatter, sprinkle apart, or dissipate. The root is dis- (apart, away) + simulare (to throw, throw away, scatter, sprinkle) in sense of spreading widely. In classical Latin, dissipare meant to dissipate wealth or resources. The English adoption appears in Middle English via Old French dissiper, evolving in meaning from ‘to scatter’ to ‘to squander’ or to ‘become scattered or dispersed’ in the late 16th century. By the 17th–18th centuries, dissipate broadened to describe the act of dispersing energy, light, or fog, and later to describe persons whose lifestyles are extravagant and unrestrained. In modern usage, it covers both physical dispersion (energy, heat, fog) and figurative waste (time, money, opportunities), with an often moral or evaluative connotation in the latter sense. First known use in English citations appears in the 1580s–1600s, aligning with similar Latin roots in scholarly and poetic contexts, and solidifying its dual sense of dispersion and morally lax behavior in contemporary diction.
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Words that rhyme with "dissipated"
-ted sounds
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