Last is a short, monosyllabic word used as an adjective, adverb, or verb, primarily meaning 'most recent' or 'final' in a sequence, or to endure. In nouns it can denote the final item in a series or a shoe form used in manufacturing. The pronunciation centers on a single stressed syllable with a short vowel and a final soft 'st' cluster.
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- Vowel confusion: People often substitute /æ/ with /e/ or /ɑː/ depending on dialect; practice with minimal pair sets: /læst/ vs /lɒst/ (US GA vs UK non-rhotic). - Stop release: The /t/ can be weakly released in rapid speech; practice a crisp /t/ with a short puff, not a drawn-out /t/ or a silent stop. - Lip and tongue tension: Tension in the jaw or curling of the tongue can smear the /l/ and /t/; keep a relaxed jaw and a light touch on the tongue’s alveolar ridge for /l/ and a clean tip contact for /t/.
- US: /læst/ with a lax /æ/, neutral rhotics; keep the /l/ light and the /t/ clearly released. - UK: /lɑːst/ or /læst/; sometimes a longer vowel sound depending on the dialect; ensure the /t/ is crisp and the final /st/ is not devoiced excessively. - AU: /lɑːst/ or /læst/, vowel can be more centralized; maintain the short, precise /t/ and avoid adding an extra vowel. IPA references are helpful to compare vowel qualities.
"- This is the last chapter we’ll cover tonight."
"- He waited until the last moment to decide."
"- The last bus leaves at midnight."
"- She tried it on, but it didn’t last long."
Last comes from Old English lǣsta, which originally meant ‘the remainder, the rest,’ and is related to the Proto-Germanic *laisiz. Its semantic field expanded through medieval period to mean ‘most recent’ and ‘final’ in a sequence. In the Middle English era, ‘last’ also served as a comparative to indicate the one at the end of a series. The word’s fundamental sense evolved with usage patterns around time, sequence, and endurance, yielding its common parts of speech today: adjective (the last item), adverb (the last night), and verb (to endure or outlast). The root concept of succession and finishing persisted across Germanic languages, with cognates appearing in Dutch (laatst) and German (letzt, letzte). First known written attestations appear in Old English texts circa the 9th century, with the form evolving through phonological shifts and spelling conventions into modern English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "last" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "last" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "last"
-ast sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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You pronounce it as two sounds: the initial velar-alveolar /l/ followed by a short lax vowel /æ/ (as in cat) and the final /st/ cluster. IPA: US/UK/AU: /læst/ or /lɑːst/ in some UK/AU accents. Primary stress is on the monosyllable; ensure the /æ/ is short and the /st/ is crisp rather than heavily aspirated. Mouth: lips relaxed, tongue at the alveolar ridge for /l/ and /t/, with a quick stop before the /t/.
Common errors include replacing /æ/ with a more open or back vowel (like /ɑː/ in some British dialects) or releasing the /t/ too softly making it sound like /s/ or /z/. Another mistake is turning /l/ into a dark or velarized /ɫ/ in rapid speech, and adding an extra vowel after the /t/. To correct: keep the vowel short and front, snap the /t/ immediately after the /st/ without an extra vowel, and keep the /l/ light and clear.
In General American, it’s /læst/ with a lax short /æ/ and crisp /st/. In many UK varieties, particularly non-rhotic, you’ll hear /lɑːst/ or /lɑːst/ with a longer A-quality and a less pronounced /r/ influence; some dialects reduce the vowel quality slightly, but the /st/ remains crisp. Australian English often renders it near /lɑːst/ as well, with a similar vowel length to British norms and a clear /t/, but without a strong rhotic influence. The key is vowel length and tongue position differences across dialects.
The difficulty often lies in the short, lax vowel /æ/ and the final consonant cluster /st/, which can blur in fast speech or be influenced by surrounding sounds. Speakers may over-aspirate the /t/ or insert an extra vowel before /t/ (typical of an intrusive vowel). Also, voicing and timing at the end of a word can cause the /s/ to sound like a following /z/ in connected speech. Focus on a clean, quick /t/ release and a precise, short /æ/.
Yes. In phrases like 'the last thing' or 'at last,' you often stress the word differently and may slow the tempo slightly; in phrases like 'last week' the vowel may be slightly reduced depending on adjacent words. The word also serves as a determiner in phrases like 'the last chapter' where it carries temporal priority. Pay attention to context to adjust vowel length and consonant crispness accordingly.
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- Shadowing: listen to natural speech with the word 'last' in different contexts and imitate exactly the rhythm and mouth posture. - Minimal pairs: /læst/ vs /lɒst/ (GA vs British) and /lɑːst/ vs /læst/ to feel vowel shifts. - Rhythm: practice with 4-beat phrases containing 'last' to feel stress timing. - Stress and intonation: place slight emphasis on 'last' in phrases like 'the last minute' to master legato vs staccato transitions. - Recording: record yourself reading sentences with 'last', compare to native samples, adjust mouth tension and release. - Context practice: couple sentences with 'last' as determiner, adverbial, and verb.
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