4 syllables: li, qui, da, ted. Stress on li.
LIK-wid-ay-tid
/ˈlɪkwɪˌdeɪtɪd/
liquidated is pronounced LIK-wid-ay-tid (/ˈlɪkwɪˌdeɪtɪd/). It has four syllables (li-qui-da-ted), with the stress on "li". Liquidated describes something that has been converted into cash or converted assets, typically to settle debts. It can also mean the winding up of a company’s affairs, selling off assets to pay creditors. The term often appears in legal, financial, or insolvency contexts and implies finality of a disbursement or dissolution.
Liquidated describes something that has been converted into cash or converted assets, typically to settle debts. It can also mean the winding up of a company’s affairs, selling off assets to pay creditors. The term often appears in legal, financial, or insolvency contexts and implies finality of a disbursement or dissolution.
"The company liquidated its assets to pay off creditors."
"After bankruptcy, the firm was liquidated and sold off to settle liabilities."
"Investors were concerned that the market would be liquidated if the recession continued."
Break it as /ˈlɪk.wəˌdeɪ.tɪd/. Start with LIK (lip corners relaxed, tip of tongue near alveolar ridge), then /wə/ with a brief schwa and rounded lips, followed by /ˌdeɪ/ with a clear long A, and end with /tɪd/. The main stress is on LIK, with secondary stress on /ˌdeɪ/ and a final light /d/ in many accents. Listen for the /w/ liaison between /k/ and /w/.
Common errors: (1) Dropping the /w/ after /k/, producing /ˈlɪkˌdeɪtɪd/; (2) Misplacing stress, saying /ˈlɪk.wəˌdeɪtɪd/ with wrong primary stress; (3) Over-pronouncing the final -ed as /-d/ or /-ɪd/ in isolation. Correct by ensuring the /w/ is released as a small semivowel between /k/ and /w/, maintaining /ˌdeɪ/ as a distinct syllable, and using a light final /tɪd/ rather than /təd/ in quick speech.
US: /ˈlɪk.wəˌdeɪ.tɪd/ with a non-rhotic? In US rhotics, the /r/ isn’t present, but this word has no /r/. UK: /ˈlɪk.wɪˌdeɪ.tɪd/ with a slightly more reduced second syllable /wɪ/ vs /wə/. AU: similar to UK but with more rounded vowels and a potential faster tempo. The key is consistently pronouncing the /k/ to /w/ transition and maintaining the /ˌdeɪ/ and final /tɪd/ without merging.
It combines a consonant cluster with a w-vowel transition: /k/ to /w/ to schwa, then a toned /deɪ/ sequence and a light final /tɪd/. The difficulty is maintaining the delicate /wə/ or /wɪ/ without inserting extra vowels, and keeping primary stress on the first syllable while preserving a clear /ˌdeɪ/ secondary stress. Mastery requires precise tongue positioning for /l/, /k/, /w/, and the diphthong in /deɪ/.
The word contains three consecutive unstressed vowels across syllables: the /ə/ in the second syllable, the /eɪ/ in the third, and the trailing /ɪd/; staying even and not over-emphasizing any one of them helps preserve natural rhythm. The /w/ after /k/ is a subtle linking sound that beginners often omit, so focus on articulating /kw/ smoothly before the /ə/.
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Liquidated comes from the Latin liquidus, meaning 'fluid, clear, easy to flow,' which evolved into liquidare meaning 'to pilot or to liquidate' in medieval Latin contexts. The English form liquidate first appeared in the 17th century in the sense of ‘to convert into money’ or ‘to settle accounts,’ reflecting legal and financial terminology. The root conveys the idea of making liquid, i.e., converting assets to cash so obligations can be met. Over time, the term broadened into contexts like dissolution of a company or winding up of affairs. The sense of finalizing or settling assets is now the dominant meaning in business and legal language, with “liquidate” as the verb and “liquidated” as its past participle. First known uses appear in financial and legal documents as people described converting illiquid assets into liquid cash for settlements. In modern usage, it remains a precise term for final asset disposition and debt settlement.
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Words that rhyme with "liquidated"
-ted sounds
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