One syllable: haired.
herd
/hɛɹd/
haired is pronounced herd (/hɛɹd/). It has one syllable (haired), with the stress on "haired". Haired is the adjective formed from hair, meaning possessing or covered in hair, or historically referring to hair length or color. In everyday use it often appears after a noun (as in “long-haired”) or as a past participle in verbs (as in “haired by”). It is pronunciationally a straightforward monosyllable with a light final 'd' in typical connected speech.
Haired is the adjective formed from hair, meaning possessing or covered in hair, or historically referring to hair length or color. In everyday use it often appears after a noun (as in “long-haired”) or as a past participle in verbs (as in “haired by”). It is pronunciationally a straightforward monosyllable with a light final 'd' in typical connected speech.
"She wore a long-haired coat of fur."
"The dog haired out in the wind, its fur flying."
"A well-groomed, blue-eyed, long-haired cat lounged on the sofa."
Pronounce as /hɛərd/ in US English or /hɜːd/ in some UK varieties; the core is a single syllable with a vowel that glides from /ɛ/ or /ɜː/ to a final /d/. The mouth starts with a relaxed open-mid vowel and closes quickly into a voiced alveolar stop. You’ll want light lip rounding and a short, crisp /d/ at the end. Listen for a short, smooth nucleus before the final /d/ to avoid sounding like ‘hair’ without the /d/.
Common errors include pronouncing it as two syllables (ha-ir- ed) or misplacing the vowel as /æ/ (like ‘had’). The correct nucleus is a short, lax vowel leading into a /r/ approximation depending on dialect, then the /d/. Focus on a quick transition from the vowel to the /d/ without inserting a schwa before the final /d/ in most dialects. Keep the /r/ subtle or non-rhotic in some UK contexts while preserving the /d/ end.
In US English, /hɛərd/ with a rhotic quality and a clear schwa-like nucleus before /d/. In many UK accents, /hɜːd/ or /hɪəd/ can occur, with a longer vowel and possibly non-rhoticity depending on region. Australian tends toward /hɛəd/ or /hɜːd/, with a more centralized vowel and a non-rhotic tendency. The key difference is vowel quality: fronted /e/ vs. centralized /ɜː/ and the presence or absence of rhotic linking before the final /d/.
The difficulty centers on the vowel nucleus before the terminal /d/ and the subtle rhotic quality in some dialects. Getting the transition from the vowel to the /d/ clean and not letting the /d/ blend into the previous consonant is essential. In rapid speech, the /r/ may be very light or elided in some accents, which changes the perceived vowel quality and timing. Practicing with minimal pairs helps you lock the precise mouth position.
Haired is a single-stress word (monosyllabic), so there is no stress shift within the word itself. The rhythm effect comes from the surrounding words and phrases. In connected speech, you may hear a slight vowel reduction before /d/ or a very brief release after the /h/—but the nucleus remains tight and short. Focus on a crisp onset /h/ followed directly by the vowel nucleus and the final /d/.
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Haired derives from hair, the Old English term hearr (hair, hair-like growth), linked to Proto-Germanic *hairą and Proto-Indo-European *ker-/*sker- relating to hair or hair-like structures. In Middle English, haired appeared as a participial adjective formed with -ed to indicate possessing hair or being provided with hair (as in long-haired). Over time, the compound could function as an adjective (“a bearded man”) or as a descriptive past participle in verb phrases (“haired by the stylist,” though less common today). The semantic shift tracks with hair-length or hair-type modifiers in English; in modern usage, haired most often appears in compounds (long-haired, red-haired) rather than as a standalone past participle. First attestations appear in late medieval to early modern English texts, with “hair” roots clearly establishing the base sense; “haired” as an independent word is rarer and tends to be specialized to compound adjectival forms or stylistic descriptions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "haired" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "haired" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "haired"
-red sounds
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