2 syllables: let, tered. Stress on let.
LET-urd
/ˈlɛtɚd/
lettered is pronounced LET-urd (/ˈlɛtɚd/). It has two syllables (let-tered), with the stress on "let". Lettered is the past participle/adjective form derived from the verb to letter, meaning marked with letters or having letters added. It also functions as an adjective to describe an entity that has acquired literacy or inscribed characters. In everyday usage you’ll often see it in phrases like “lettered signs” or “lettered pages,” signaling that letters or literacy are involved rather than merely printed text.
Lettered is the past participle/adjective form derived from the verb to letter, meaning marked with letters or having letters added. It also functions as an adjective to describe an entity that has acquired literacy or inscribed characters. In everyday usage you’ll often see it in phrases like “lettered signs” or “lettered pages,” signaling that letters or literacy are involved rather than merely printed text.
"The wall is lettered with the names of the sponsors."
"She carried a lettered notebook, its pages filled with careful handwriting."
"The balloon was lettered in bold red with the event title."
You pronounce it as LET-ərd, with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US ˈlɛtərd, UK ˈletərd, AU ˈletəɹd. Start with the /l/ sound, then /ɛ/ as in bed, followed by /t/ or /t̚/ and a schwa /ə/ before the final /r/ or /ɹ/ in rhotic accents. End with a light /d/. Practice by saying “let” quickly, then add an unstressed “ered” to land on the two-syllable rhythm. Audio reference: you can compare to common dictionaries or pronunciation tools for confirmation.
Two frequent errors: (1) pronouncing /t/ as a hard stop without a release in the middle, producing LET-erd instead of LET-ərd; ensure a clean /t/ with a light release before the schwa. (2) Merging the syllables too tightly so it sounds like “laterd” or “latterd” by reducing the schwa; keep a distinct weak vowel before the final /ɹ/ or /d/. Use a brief pause or clear transition between /t/ and /ə/. Correct by practicing with minimal pairs and recording yourself.
In US and UK, the first syllable carries the primary stress: /ˈlɛtərd/ vs /ˈlɛtəɹd/ (UK often uses /ˈletəɹd/ in non-rhotic variants). US rhotics pronounce the final /ɹ/ clearly, while many UK accents may be non-rhotic, reducing the final /r/ to a vowel-like offglide. Australian English retains a clear /ɹ/ in rhotic speech but may have a slightly centralized or broader /ə/ in the second syllable, giving /ˈletəɹd/ or /ˈletɚd/. Focus on the first syllable vowel quality and ensure a light, schwa-like second syllable across accents.
The difficulty lies in achieving a crisp /t/ release followed by a quick schwa and a clean /ɹ/ or /d/ without slurring. The transition between /t/ and /ə/ can wobble, especially in rapid speech, and non-rhotic accents may merge /ər/ into a single syllable. Also, the contrasted vowel in /ɛ/ must be distinct from /e/ or /ɪ/ in similar words, so many speakers mispronounce by making the second syllable too strong or dropping the schwa altogether.
Yes. The primary stress is on the first syllable: LET-tered. The second syllable contains a reduced vowel, typically a schwa, yielding a quick, light /ə/ before the final /ɹ/ or /d/. In careful speech, you’ll hear a clearer /ə/ before the rhotic or voiced consonant; in fast speech, it can become slightly reduced toward a near-schwa, but the stress pattern remains constant across most dialects.
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Lettered comes from the noun letter, from Old French letre, from Latin littera, meaning a written character or a letter of the alphabet. The sense of marking with letters emerges from the idea of inscribing words or symbols onto a surface. In Middle English and Early Modern English, to letter referred to the act of providing letters or inscriptions on a surface, and the past participle formed as -ed (lettered) to describe something that has been inscribed or has letters as a property. The term broadened in usage to describe literacy itself (a person who is “lettered” is literate) and figuratively to describe something abundant in or composed of textual detail. First known written attestations appear in medieval manuscripts where scribes described surfaces that were “lettered” with names, charters, or inscriptions, transitioning to modern usage by the 17th–18th centuries as printing and typography proliferated. Modern usage encompasses both inscriptive and literacy senses, with the adjective sense of having letters or being inscribed common in signage, labeling, and academic contexts. The verb-to-adjective shift tracks the broader historical trend of turning actions into descriptors to convey state or attribute.
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Words that rhyme with "lettered"
-red sounds
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