sur-PAST
/sɚˈpæst/
surpassed is pronounced sur-PAST (/sɚˈpæst/). Surpassed is the past tense and past participle of surpass, meaning to exceed or do better than something or someone. It denotes an achievement that goes beyond a previous standard or expectation. In usage, it often appears in contexts signaling comparison, progression, or historical improvement, frequently with adjectives like “significantly” or “handily.”.
Surpassed is the past tense and past participle of surpass, meaning to exceed or do better than something or someone. It denotes an achievement that goes beyond a previous standard or expectation. In usage, it often appears in contexts signaling comparison, progression, or historical improvement, frequently with adjectives like “significantly” or “handily.”
"Her final score surpassed all expectations."
"The company's growth surpassed its 2023 projections."
"He surpassed his rival by finishing first in the last lap."
Break it as sə-PAST with primary stress on the second syllable: /sɚˈpæst/ in US, /səˈpɑːst/ in UK and Australian. Start with a schwa in the first syllable, then a clear, short ‘past’ with a p, æ, and st cluster. Ensure the t remains a clean alveolar stop without a heavy tongue-tap. Lip position is relaxed, with a small lip rounding for the /ɚ/ in US and a neutral spread for UK/AU.
Two common errors: (1) Reducing the /ɚ/ in the first syllable too much, producing a near-schwa-less initial syllable. (2) Slurring the - past into a blended /stæst/ or dropping the /p/ leading to /ˈsæst/ or /sɚˈpæst/ with wrong stress. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with a crisp /pæst/ and keep the initial schwa short but present. Practice with a light puff of air after /p/ to prevent vowel intrusion.
US tends to r-colored /ɚ/ in the first syllable (sɚˈpæst), UK often uses a clear /ə/ in the first syllable and a longer /ɑː/ in the second (/səˈpɑːst/), while AU sits between, with non-rhotic tendencies like UK and a neutral diphthong in the second syllable. The /p/ and /st/ clusters remain crisp in all. Pay attention to rhoticity for US, and the length of the vowel in the second syllable for UK/AU.
The difficulty lies in the /ɚ/ vs /ə/ distinction in the first syllable and the /æ/ vs /ɑː/ difference in the second syllable, plus maintaining a clean /p/ and /st/ cluster after a stressed syllable. The fast tempo can compress vowels, leading to /ˈsɜrpæst/ or dropping the /p/. Focus on reserving a brief, centered vowel before a sharp /p/ and a distinct /æ/ before /st/.
Think of the word as two clean beats: sur- (unstressed) followed by -passed (stressed). Ensure the nucleus vowel in the first syllable is a quick, soft schwa, then deliver the strong lift into /pæst/. Keep the /s/ before /æ/ crisp to avoid a slurred transition. Visualize lips relaxing before the /p/, and then snap the /p/ into the /æ/ before the /st/.
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Surpassed derives from the verb surpass, which comes from the Old French surpasser, meaning to go beyond or go over. The French term itself combines sur- (over, above) with passer (to pass). The base passer traces to Latin passus (a step) and through the Latin verb pallere, leading to the sense of moving beyond or overtaking in a figurative sense. The English form likely entered Middle English via Anglo-Norman or Old French influence during the 13th to 14th centuries, aligning with other motion-and-exceed verbs such as surpassen. Early uses emphasized literal crossing or overtaking in physical or competitive contexts, gradually extending to abstract thresholds—social, moral, or quantitative superiority. By the 16th–18th centuries, surpass had matured into a common verb in both written and spoken English, with past tense surpassed following the regular -ed conjugation. In contemporary English, surpassed retains a strong evaluative connotation, signaling clear superiority or outperformance relative to a benchmark, oftentimes in formal or analytical writing.
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Words that rhyme with "surpassed"
-ted sounds
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