plead

Pronounce it as /plid/ in US and /pled/ in many UK varieties, with the vowel as a long /i/ and a crisp final /d/. The initial consonants are a voiceless plosive /p/ followed by /l/. The tongue lands behind the upper teeth for the /l/ and the lips are relaxed. In casual speech you may hear a slight vowel reduction in some accents, but try to maintain a clear /i/ to avoid confusion with 'plead' vs 'plead'.

Common errors include shortening the vowel to a near-schwa (e.g., /pləd/) or dropping the final /d/ in fast speech, producing /pli/ or /pleɪd/ by analogy with 'plead' (as in 'plead with'). Another frequent mistake is misplacing the /l/ by turning it into a vowel or misarticulating the transition from /p/ to /l/—keep the /l/ as a light, vocalic onset of the syllable and finish sharply with /d/.

In US and many UK varieties, the word tends toward /plid/ or /plid/ with a pure /iː/ quality for the vowel; rhoticity matters less here since the word contains no rhotic vowel. In some UK accents, you may hear a slightly tenser or shorter /i/ and a crisper /d/. Australian speech might present a slightly rounded vowel and a shorter release, but it remains close to /plid/ with minimal vowel shift.

The difficulty centers on the quick, smooth transition from /p/ to /l/ to /d/ in a single syllable, which can blur into /pliːd/ or /pleɪd/ for non-native speakers. The alveolar /l/ and the final /d/ require precise tongue positioning and a crisp closure. Achieving a steady, light release of /p/ before the liquid /l/ and finishing with a voiced /d/ without an extra vowel can be challenging in connected speech.

Is the final /d/ always voiced in connected speech? In careful pronunciation, yes, the /d/ is typically voiced, but in rapid or casual speech you might hear a partially devoiced or lightly released /d/, especially when followed by a sibilant or in a phrase boundary. Focus on maintaining the /d/ release while keeping the preceding /l/ contact stable to avoid a glottal stop.