2 syllables: halt, ed. Stress on halt.
HAWL-tuhd
/ˈhɔltəd/
halted is pronounced HAWL-tuhd (/ˈhɔltəd/). It has two syllables (halt-ed), with the stress on "halt". Halted is the past tense and past participle of halt, meaning stopped or brought to a stop. It can describe things that are paused temporarily or stopped abruptly. In usage, it often appears in narrative contexts to indicate interruption or halt in movement, progress, or speech, with a nuance of abrupt or complete pause.
Halted is the past tense and past participle of halt, meaning stopped or brought to a stop. It can describe things that are paused temporarily or stopped abruptly. In usage, it often appears in narrative contexts to indicate interruption or halt in movement, progress, or speech, with a nuance of abrupt or complete pause.
"The construction project was halted due to safety concerns."
"Her speech was halted mid-sentence when the phone rang."
"Traffic was halted for emergency vehicles to pass."
Pronounce as /ˈhɔːltɪd/ in US/UK/AU. Primary stress on the first syllable: HAL-ted. Start with /h/ then /ɔː/ as a long open back vowel, then /l/ with a light tongue contact, then /t/ released into the /ɪd/ cluster—so the ending blends as /tɪd/. You’ll hear the effect of the /t/ followed by a short /ɪd/ in rapid speech. Practice by saying HAL + ted quickly and cleanly. Audio references: try listening to native speakers pronouncing 'halted' in phrases like 'the project was halted' on pronunciation platforms.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the /t/ and ending as /ˈhɔːlɪd/ or /ˈhɔːldɪd/—avoid this by ensuring a crisp /t/ release before the /ɪd/. 2) Slurring the /ɔː/ into /ɒ/ or a shorter vowel leading to /ˈhɒltɪd/—keep the broad /ɔː/ quality. 3) Unstressed second syllable taking full vowel length—keep /ɪ/ as a short, lax vowel in the second syllable. Correction tips: exaggerate the /t/ release in practice, use minimal pairs HAL-ted vs HOL-d/HALT-ed, and record to confirm the /tɪd/ sequence is audible.
US/UK/AU share /ˈhɔːltɪd/ with a rhotic difference minimal here; the main differences lie in the quality of /ɔː/ (US often sounds more open, UK more rounded) and /ɹ/ rhoticity not affecting this word since /r/ is not present. In non-rhotic UK varieties, the vowel can be slightly shorter before /t/; in Australian English, the /ɔː/ may be a bit more centralized and the /ɪ/ in /ɪd/ can be reduced slightly in rapid speech. Overall,，但 the core /ˈhɔːltɪd/ pattern remains consistent across three varieties.
The challenge lies in the /t/ release immediately before /ɪd/, which creates a rapid /tɪd/ cluster that can blur in fast speech. Additionally, maintaining the broad /ɔː/ vowel before /l/ and /t/ requires precise tongue retraction and lip rounding. The suffix /-ed/ after a voiceless alveolar plosive often softens; ensuring a crisp /d/ voice at the end is essential. Practicing with slow repetitions helps anchor the tongue position and the timing of release.
A distinctive feature is the quick, audible /t/ release before the /ɪd/ that marks a 'halted' with a final 'ed' pronounced as /ɪd/. This makes the word sound precise and clipped in formal contexts and slightly more relaxed in casual speech. Paying attention to the transition from the alveolar stop /t/ to the voiced /d/ in /ɪd/ helps you avoid a slurred ending. Always check the /t/ timing in connected phrases like 'was halted by' to maintain clarity.
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Halted comes from halt, which originated in Middle English halten, from Old Norse halta ‘to limp’ or Old English healte ‘a halting, limping.’ The verb sense expanded from physical halting to general stopping. By the 14th century, halt as a noun signified a pause or stopping point, and by the 16th–17th centuries the verb form halted appeared to describe the act of stopping or bringing to a stop. The sense broadened in modern English to include stopping actions, processes, or events, not just movement. The word is closely related to halt in German ( anhalten ) and has cognates across Germanic languages. The shift from literal stopping to figurative pauses (plans, progress) occurred with broader use in narrative and technical contexts over time. First known uses typically appear in legal, military, and travel writings where precise stopping points were important, later expanding to everyday use in descriptions of interruptions and suspensions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "halted" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "halted" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "halted"
-ted sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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