2 syllables: ex, pired. Stress on pired.
ik-SPEYERD
/ɪkˈspaɪɹd/
expired is pronounced ik-SPEYERD (/ɪkˈspaɪɹd/). It has two syllables (ex-pired), with the stress on "pired". Expired is an adjective or verb form indicating that a document, license, or item is no longer valid or within its validity period. It can also describe something that has died or ceased to exist. The term combines the prefix ex- with the verb expire, conveying a finality or end-point. In everyday use, it often describes time-sensitive validity or lifelike cessation.
Expired is an adjective or verb form indicating that a document, license, or item is no longer valid or within its validity period. It can also describe something that has died or ceased to exist. The term combines the prefix ex- with the verb expire, conveying a finality or end-point. In everyday use, it often describes time-sensitive validity or lifelike cessation.
- Incorrect vowel quality in the second syllable: avoid a short /ɪ/ or /ɛ/ where the /aɪ/ should be; substitute with a precise /aɪ/ by shaping the tongue high and forward. - Slurring the /p/ into /s/ or dropping the /p/ entirely, which mushes the /spaɪ/ cluster; ensure a light but audible /p/ release before /sp/. - Final consonant misarticulation: the /d/ should be a clear, unreleased or lightly released stop depending on speed; don’t let it become /t/ or vanish. - Non-rhotic tendency in some UK speech where the /r/ is not pronounced in the final cluster before a vowel; in expired, the ending is often non-rhotic, which can affect whole-syllable color. Practice with context sentences to lock in the ending.
"The restaurant will stop serving alcohol once the license expires."
"My passport expired last month, so I need to renew it."
"The warranty expired after two years of coverage."
Pronounce as /ɪkˈspaɪərd/ (US/UK), with stress on the second syllable: ex- SPY-ərd. The first syllable is a light, schwa-like /ɪ/ or /ɪk/ depending on speed, then the root /ˈspaɪər/ transitions to a voiceless /d/. In US speech, you’ll often hear /ɪkˈspaɪɚd/ with rhotacized ending; in careful speech, /ɪkˈspaɪərd/ clearly shows the /ər/ before the final /d/. Mouth position: start with a small neutral vowel, raise the tongue for the /p/ and /aɪ/ sequence, and finish with a lightly released /d/. Audio references: try listening to pronunciations on Pronounce or Forvo and mimic the stressed second syllable’s height and diphthong shape.
Common mistakes include saying /ɪkˈspɪərd/ with a short /ɪ/ in the second syllable, or wrongly stressing the first syllable as in ex-PERED. Another frequent error is merging /ər/ into a flat /ər/ without the /aɪ/ diphthong clearly, producing /ɪkˈspaɪrd/ or /ɛkˈspɛrd/. Correction: stress the /aɪ/ in /spaɪ/, keep the second syllable clearly like /spaɪə/ before the final /d/, and ensure the /r/ is appropriately colored in rhotic accents. Practice with minimal pairs to feel the height of the vowel and the transition into /d/.
In US English, you’ll often hear /ɪkˈspaɪərd/ with a rhotacized /ɚ/ in the final syllable and a darker /ɹ/ sound. UK pronunciation tends toward /ɪkˈspaɪəd/ or /ɪkˈspeɪəd/, with less rhoticity and a lighter /r/; Australians typically render it as /ɪkˈspɪəd/ or /ɪkˈspɛəd/, with a flatter /ɜː/ or /ɪə/ before the final /d/. All variants keep the /spaɪ/ nucleus, but vowel quality and rhoticity shift subtly, affecting vowel length and the coarticulation before /d/.
The challenge lies in the combination of the diphthong /aɪ/ onset in the stressed nucleus and the rapid transition to a trailing /ər/ or /ə/ before the final /d/. The /p/ release and the /sp/ sequence must flow smoothly, while preserving the /ɪ/ onset in the first syllable in fast speech. The rhotic vs non-rhotic treatments, and subtle differences in /ɜː/ vs /ɪ/ vowels across accents, add complexity. Practicing the /spaɪə/ cluster as a unit with controlled tempo helps stabilize the articulation.
A distinctive feature is the strong /aɪ/ diphthong in the stressed second syllable, which creates a perceptual beat between /sp/ and /aɪ_. Paying attention to the transition from /p/ to /aɪ/ and then to the rhotic or non-rhotic ending clarifies meaning, especially in rapid speech where vowel reduction can blur the nucleus. Emphasize the /spaɪ/ chunk and then a clean /ər/ or /ɜː/ before the final /d/ depending on accent.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity; the ending may be resolved with a subtle /ɹ/ before the final /d/ in careful speech. Vowel in /spaɪ/ is a strong diphthong; practice closing it with a clear gliding to /ɚ/ or /ər/ depending on speed. - UK: often non-rhotic; the final /r/ is not pronounced; make /ə/ or /ɪə/ before /d/ when not rhotic. The /aɪ/ diphthong remains central; maintain a crisp /p/ release. - AU: tends to be non-rhotic with a flatter /ɪ/ or /ə/ in some speakers; keep the /spaɪ/ nucleus intact and avoid broad Australian vowel shifts that turn /aɪ/ into a more centralized sound. IPA references help anchor the variations; listen to native samples for subtle color. - General tip: train the release timing so the /p/ leads into /sp/ without a break; keep a smooth flow from vowel 2 to the final /d/.
Expired comes from the Latin expīrāre, meaning to breathe out or to exhaust. The prefix ex- implies ‘out of’ and -pire is linked to the Latin spirare, to breathe; thus expīrāre originally implied breathing out or finishing. In Medieval Latin, expīrāre referred to exhaling or to dying, which fed into the sense of something having reached its end. In English, expire appeared in the 14th century with senses including to breathe out, to die, or to come to an end. By the 16th–17th centuries, expire shifted primarily toward no longer being valid (e.g., a contract or license) while retaining senses related to ceasing to be in effect or alive in a literal sense. The past participle expired entered common usage to describe things that have passed their validity and are no longer usable, with metaphorical extensions to time and life endings.
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Words that rhyme with "expired"
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