3 syllables: en, ter, tained. Stress on tained.
en-tur-TAYND
/ˌɛntɚˈteɪnd/
entertained is pronounced en-tur-TAYND (/ˌɛntɚˈteɪnd/). It has three syllables (en-ter-tained), with the stress on "tained". Entertained is the past tense or past participle of entertain, meaning to amuse or hold the attention of someone. It can describe a past event of providing amusement or enjoyment, or a state of being amused. In pronunciation, the word emphasizes the second syllable and ends with a clear /d/ sound when used in past forms.
Entertained is the past tense or past participle of entertain, meaning to amuse or hold the attention of someone. It can describe a past event of providing amusement or enjoyment, or a state of being amused. In pronunciation, the word emphasizes the second syllable and ends with a clear /d/ sound when used in past forms.
"The comedian entertained the crowd for nearly an hour."
"She was entertained by a clever story and clinking jokes."
"We entertained offers from several guests before making a decision."
US/UK/AU IPA: /ɪnˈtɜːr.teɪnd/ (US) , /ɪnˈtɜːtən(d)/ (UK, typical in many dialects) , /ɪnˈtæː.tend/ (AU). The primary stress is on the second syllable: enter-TAIN-ed. Tip: start with ‘in’ as a quick, unstressed syllable, then place a stronger lift on the ‘TAIN’ before ending with a light ‘d’ sound. Visualize the tongue curling toward the roof of the mouth for /ɜː/ in stressed syllable, with a clear /t/ stop followed by a long diphthong /eɪ/ before the final /nd/.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing the stress, saying en-TERT-ained. Fix: move emphasis to the second syllable: en-ter-TAINed. 2) Flattening the /ɜː/ or /ɜ/ to a schwa in US or UK variants; use a mid-back rounded vowel; 3) Dropping the final /d/ or treating it as 'entertaind'. Ensure the final /nd/ is a clear alveolar nasal plus stop. Speak slowly at first to chain the sounds: /ɪnˈtɜːr.teɪnd/.
US typically has /ɪnˈtɜːr.teɪnd/ with rhotic /ɜr/ in the stressed syllable; UK often uses /ɪnˈtɜː.tənd/ or /ɪnˈtɜː.tɛnd/, with non-rhoticity and a softer /t/ in connected speech; Australian tends toward /ɪnˈtæː.tend/ or /ɪnˈtɜːtənd/ with broader vowel contrasts and less pronounced /r/ in the UK variant. Focus on maintaining theER vowel quality in US vs. the clipped non-rhotic UK forms and the AU vowel split in the second syllable.
Because of the multi-syllable rhythm and the sequence /t/ + /ˈeɪ/ in the stressed syllable, along with the silent tendencies in connected speech and the final /nd/ cluster. The key is the transition from /t/ to /eɪ/ to /nd/—a precise articulation of the /t/ stop, the glide into /eɪ/, and finishing with a clear /nd/. Misplacing the stress or reducing the /eɪ/ to a short /e/ can make it sound like a different word.
A unique feature is the strong, secondary stress pattern on the diphthongal nucleus of the second syllable (TAIN), producing /ˈtɜːr.teɪnd/ in many US pronunciations. The contrast between /teɪ/ and the final /nd/ makes the word stand out as a past-tense form of entertain; you’ll hear a clear, precise /t/ before the /eɪ/ and a final alveolar nasal plus stop.
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US: rhotic vowels, strong /r/ and clear /ɜːr/; UK: non-rhotic or reduced /r/ with flatter /ɜː/; AU: broader vowels and sometimes /æ/ for second syllable in casual speech. IPA: US /ɪnˈtɜːr.teɪnd/; UK /ɪnˈtɜː.tənd/ or /ɪnˈtɜː.teɪnd/; AU /ɪnˈtæː.tend/ or /ɪnˈtɜː.tənd/. Practice by listening for the rhoticity and vowel length in the stressed syllable.
Entertained derives from the verb entertain, which comes from Old French entretenir, from entre- 'between' + tenir 'to hold, maintain'. The sense evolved from ‘to maintain the sustenance or conversation of guests’ to ‘to amuse, delight, or provide diversion’. In Middle English, entertain often meant to maintain or keep someone’s attention in conversation or hospitality contexts. By the 16th century, the sense broadened to include acts of amusing and pleasing, aligning with modern usage of hosting and providing entertainment. The suffix -ed marks the past tense and past participle in English, used for completed actions. The root presentan and cultural shifts toward organized amusements in the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the association with performance, spectacle, and leisure. First known uses appear in texts that discuss medicinal and social hospitality, gradually evolving into the broader sense of amusement and enjoyment we rely on today.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "entertained" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "entertained"
-ned sounds
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