3 syllables: ex, ploit, ed. Stress on ex.
EK-sploy-tuhd
/ˈɛksˌplɔɪtəd/
exploited is pronounced EK-sploy-tuhd (/ˈɛksˌplɔɪtəd/). It has three syllables (ex-ploit-ed), with the stress on "ex". Exploited is the past participle and past tense form of exploit, meaning to take unfair or unethical advantage of someone or something, often for material gain. In broader use, it can describe utilizing resources or opportunities in a way that benefits one at others’ expense. The sense is typically negative and emphasizes coercion, manipulation, or effective use in a way that disregards fairness. Two common contexts are criminal exploitation and resource exploitation in business or science.
Exploited is the past participle and past tense form of exploit, meaning to take unfair or unethical advantage of someone or something, often for material gain. In broader use, it can describe utilizing resources or opportunities in a way that benefits one at others’ expense. The sense is typically negative and emphasizes coercion, manipulation, or effective use in a way that disregards fairness. Two common contexts are criminal exploitation and resource exploitation in business or science.
"The company was accused of exploited labor practices in its overseas factories."
"Villagers felt exploited by the new development project that offered few benefits while displacing residents."
"Criminals exploited security weaknesses to steal data."
Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplɔɪ.tɪd/ (US/UK/AU). Break it into ex- + ploit + ed. The primary stress is on the second syllable: ex- PLOIT-ed. The /ɪ/ at the start is a short, lax vowel; the /ˈsplɔɪ/ contains a diphthong where your tongue glides from /ɔ/ toward /ɪ/ in fast speech, and the final /tɪd/ is a light, quick /tɪd/ with aalveolar tap release typical of casual speech. For a natural sound, ensure the /ɪ/ in the first syllable is reduced, and the /d/ at the end is clearly pronounced in careful speech.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (say ex-PLOIT-ed instead of ex- PLOIT-ed), slurring the /t/ or turning the ending into a syllabic /ɪd/ without a clear /t/ onset, and pronouncing the diphthong as a pure /ɔɪ/ without lip movement. Correction tips: keep the /ɔɪ/ diphthong clear by starting with /ɔ/ and gliding toward /ɪ/; hold the /t/ briefly as a crisp release before /ɪd/; practice with a slight pause between /splɔɪ/ and /tɪd/ to avoid-isolated vowels.
In US, UK, and AU, the main difference lies in rhoticity and vowel quality. US tends to be rhotic with a tighter /ɹ/ influence, and the /ɔɪ/ diphthong is pronounced with a stronger /ɔɪ/ glide. UK is non-rhotic in many accents; the /ɔɪ/ diphthong may have a lighter, more centralized quality. Australian English often has a broader, somewhat higher fronted /ɪ/ before consonants and a slightly different tongue height in /ɔɪ/. Overall, the primary stress and the /t/ release are similar, but vowel coloring and rhoticity give distinct flavors.
Difficulties come from the multi-syllabic rhythm and the tricky /ɔɪ/ diphthong in the stressed syllable plus the final /ɪd/ cluster after /t/. The blend ex- + ploit makes the /ˈsplɔɪ/ sequence demanding on timing and lip shaping, while the ending /tɪd/ requires a fast, precise alveolar stop followed by a light syllabic /d/. Mastery involves crisp voiceless/voiced transitions, accurate place of articulation for /spl/, and preventing vowel reduction in the stressed syllable.
A unique feature is the strong onset cluster ex- + spl- that creates a rapid consonant sequence before the diphthong. The syllable boundary sits after the diphthong /ɔɪ/ but before the /tɪd/ ending; in fluent speech you often merge /t/ lightly into the following /ɪd/. Emphasize the transition from vowel to the hard /t/ to avoid sounding like /ɔɪt/ or /ɔɪɾɪd/.
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Exploited derives from the verb exploit, which comes from the late 16th century French exploiter from the Latin explōtāre, a blend of ex- (out) and plōtum (wealth, riches). The core sense historically emphasized “to draw profit from a resource,” with notions of leveraging something for gain. In English, exploit initially carried neutral or even positive connotations of making good use of resources, people, or situations. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the sense broadened to include taking unfair advantage—especially of vulnerable people—reflecting social and economic power dynamics. The noun exploitation, closely related, developed to describe systematic use for gain, often in contexts like labor, industry, and colonial enterprise. The modern negative sense is well established in ethical and legal discourse, while still retaining the primary “make use of for gain” root. First known use in English literature appears in the early 17th century, with usage clarifying both utilitarian and predatory dimensions as contexts evolved through industrial and global trade eras. This word thus traverses from neutral resource use to morally charged behavior as exploitation became a central topic in ethics, labor rights, and international policy.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "exploited" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "exploited"
-ted sounds
-sed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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