2 syllables: ham, mered. Stress on ham.
HAM-urd
/ˈhæmɚd/
hammered is pronounced HAM-urd (/ˈhæmɚd/). It has two syllables (ham-mered), with the stress on "ham". Hammered is the past participle of hammer, meaning struck repeatedly or severely damaged. It also colloquially describes someone under the influence of alcohol. In pronunciation, the word is a two-syllable, trochaic word with primary stress on the first syllable: HAM-mered, though in connected speech the second syllable may reduce slightly in casual speech.
Hammered is the past participle of hammer, meaning struck repeatedly or severely damaged. It also colloquially describes someone under the influence of alcohol. In pronunciation, the word is a two-syllable, trochaic word with primary stress on the first syllable: HAM-mered, though in connected speech the second syllable may reduce slightly in casual speech.
- You often overemphasize the second syllable, turning /ˈhæm.ərd/ into /ˈhæm.ərd/ with a pronounced /ər/; aim for a lighter, quicker second syllable. - You may flatten the first vowel, pronouncing /æ/ as a dull /a/; keep the openness of /æ/ by dropping the jaw slightly more at the start. - Final /d/ can be devoiced or swallowed in fast speech; practice finishing with a crisp but not explosive /d/. - Tip: practice in context; sentence frames: “The hammer was hammered” helps you feel the rhythm and mouth posture.
"The metal was hammered flat into a thin sheet."
"She hammered the nail until it was flush with the wood."
"The crowd was hammered by the rain and wind during the game."
Pronounce as /ˈhæm.ərd/ in most US contexts or /ˈhæm.əd/ in UK/AU. Start with the open front lax vowel in HAM, then a schwa or a reduced /ə/ in the second syllable, and finish with a voiced alveolar stop /d/. Stress is on the first syllable. Visualize the lip spread and mid jaw drop for the /æ/ vowel, then relax the tongue for /ər/ or /ə/. Keep the /r/ light in non-rhotic varieties.
Common errors: 1) pronouncing the second syllable as a full /ɜːr/ or /ər/ with a strong r-color in non-rhotic dialects; 2) misplacing stress as HAM-mer-id or HAM-merd with wrong vowel in /æ/; 3) over-enunciating the /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Corrections: keep second syllable as a reduced /ə/ or /ər/ depending on accent, maintain primary stress on first syllable /ˈhæm/, and avoid extra effort on /d/—end softly but clearly with /d/.
US: /ˈhæm.ərd/ with rhotic /r/. UK: /ˈhæm.əd/ with non-rhotic /r/ and a more centralized /ə/ in second syllable. Australia: often /ˈhæm.əd/ like UK but with a slightly more ticked vowel quality and less rhotic articulation in casual speech. Overall, rhoticity, vowel quality of the second syllable, and syllable reduction shape the primary differences. IPA references help track subtle shifts: US /ˈhæm.ɚd/, UK /ˈhæm.əd/, AU /ˈhæm.əd/.
Two key challenges: 1) a reduced second vowel in fast speech, which may sound like /ɚ/ or /ə/ depending on accent; 2) the final /d/ can blend with preceding consonants in rapid speech, causing devoicing or elision. Mastery requires practicing the sequence HAM-mered with careful attention to tongue position: front open /æ/ in first syllable, mid-central /ə/ or rhotic /ɚ/ second, voiced /d/ at the end. Focus on clean transition between vowels and the final stop.
Unique feature: the second syllable’s schwa or relaxed /ə/ is often reduced in connected speech, making hammered sound like /ˈhæm.əd/ in many dialects. This reduction interacts with the preceding stressed vowel and with following context in fast speech, so you’ll hear a quick, nearly unstressed second syllable in casual talk. Listening for this reduction in sentences will help you reproduce natural rhythm and timing.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ in the second syllable when clearly enunciating; ensure /æ/ remains open and short. - UK: second syllable tends toward /ə/; keep non-rhoticity, avoid rolling /r/. - AU: mix of rhoticity and non-rhotic tendencies; often closer to UK pronunciation with slightly brighter /æ/ and reduced /ə/; monitor vowel length and remaining consonant clarity. IPA guides: US /ˈhæm.ɚd/, UK/AU /ˈhæm.əd/; maintain clear /d/ end while reducing the vowel in the second syllable.
Hammered comes from the verb hammer, from Old English hamarian (to hammer) or hamor, a hammer or tool. The noun hammer traces to Proto-Germanic *hamar- (hammer) and is linked to Gothic hamrs. The -ed suffix marks the past participle in English, indicating completed action or a state arising from action. The sense of “to strike with a hammer” likely dates to early Germanic woodworking and metalworking practices, and by Middle English the adjective form hammered was used figuratively to describe things struck, beaten, or overwhelmed. In modern English, hammered also carries colloquial meaning of intoxicated, a metaphorical extension from being weighed down or exhausted by repeated blows or impacts. First known uses appear in late medieval texts, with increased figurative usage in early modern period as glosses for “driven, overwhelmed” and later “intoxicated” in the 20th century, aligning with slang development around substances and nightlife.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hammered" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "hammered"
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