suh-SPEN-did
/səˈspɛndɪd/
suspended is pronounced suh-SPEN-did (/səˈspɛndɪd/). Suspended describes something temporarily halted or delayed, kept in a pending state or condition. It can refer to a decision, a career, or an object that is hanging or suspended in air. The term often conveys temporaryity and a pause before a final outcome or action is taken.
Suspended describes something temporarily halted or delayed, kept in a pending state or condition. It can refer to a decision, a career, or an object that is hanging or suspended in air. The term often conveys temporaryity and a pause before a final outcome or action is taken.
- You often misplace the primary stress on the first syllable (spon-), making the word sound like a different pattern. Ensure the second syllable carries the main emphasis: /səˈspendɪd/. - The initial /sp/ cluster can blur in rapid speech; keep it crisp and release the /p/ before the /s/ sequence. - The final -ed tends to be over-articulated; in connected speech it’s a light /ɪd/ or /d/, not a full vowel. - In casual speech, speakers may reduce the first syllable to a weak schwa; practice holding a clear /ə/ before /ˈspend/. - Don’t run the /spend/ together with the /ɪd/ to avoid a long /ɪ/; aim for a short, crisp ending.
"The construction permit was suspended after safety concerns were raised."
"Her license was suspended for the duration of the investigation."
"The meeting was suspended due to a power outage."
səˈspendɪd. The word is two syllables, with secondary stress on the first syllable and primary stress on the second: suh-SPEN-did. Start with a relaxed schwa /ə/, then a clear /ˈspend/ with the vowel as a short e, and end with a light /ɪd/ or /d/ depending on the speaker. In careful speech, the -ed lands as /ɪd/ after a /d/ ending, sounding like -id.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress (s-REN-ded) and confusing the -pend- with -penn- or -pended. Another frequent slip is reducing /spend/ to /spen/ or turning the final -ed into a full vowel instead of -ɪd. To correct: place primary stress on the second syllable /ˈspend/, keep the /sp/ cluster intact, and end with a light /ɪd/ or a final /d/ if linked. Practice by emphasizing /ˈspend/ before the final /ɪd/.
In US and UK, the core /səˈspendɪd/ is similar, but rhoticity affects vowel quality in some speakers: US rhotics may show a slightly clearer /ɹ/ across surrounding vowels in connected speech, while UK speakers often have a shorter, crisper /ə/ in the first syllable. Australian speakers trend toward a centralized vowel in the first syllable and may flatten the /ɪ/ in -ɪd. Overall, the main difference is subtle vowel length and rhoticity in connected speech rather than a distinct phoneme swap.
Two challenges: the /sp/ cluster at the start and the quiet, light /ɪd/ ending after /d/. The /sp/ requires precise lip rounding and a sharp release, while the final /ɪd/ can sound like a separate syllable if you over-articulate. Also, the unstressed first syllable /ə/ can become a reduced vowel that blends into the /spend/ portion in fluent speech. Focus on clean /sp/ onset, short /e/ in spend, and a quick /ɪd/ ending.
The word carries an etymological emphasis on the -pend- root meaning hang. You’ll notice the /p/ and /d/ are crisp, with a distinct /p/ release before /spend/. The -spend- sequence is a prominent feature, reflecting its Latin origin suspendere. The root pend- remains clearly audible as /spend/, making the syllable boundaries evident in careful speech.
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- US: rhotic, subtle r-coloring may appear in surrounding sounds; keep /ə/ neutral and crisp before /ˈspend/. - UK: crisper vowel in the second syllable, with less rhotic influence; ensure /ˈspend/ is clearly separated from the /ɪd/. - AU: tends to a slightly flatter vowel in the first syllable and a more centralized /ə/; keep the final /ɪd/ short and light. - Vowel quality: /ə/ in the first syllable remains unstressed; /ˈspend/ uses a short e; /ɪ/ is brief; final /d/ is voiced. IPA references guide your articulation.
The adjective suspended comes from the verb suspend, which traces to Latin suspendere, from sub- ‘under’ + pendere ‘to hang’. The sense shifted from literally hanging to the figurative sense of hanging in abeyance or being put off. In English, the form -ed marks a past participle/adjective usage. The root pend- is found across many words (appendage, pendant, pendantic). The Latin path, through Old French suspendre, contributed to early Middle English usage, where it described something hung or held up, or a pause before action. By the 16th–17th centuries, English usage broadened to mean temporarily stopping an action or decision, not just physical hanging. In modern usage, suspended retains both senses: physically hung and temporarily paused or conditional (e.g., suspended sentence, suspended animation). First known uses surface in legal and mechanical contexts in Early Modern English texts, gradually diversifying to common metaphorical applications in general language by the 17th–18th centuries. The word has kept its core sense of delay or hanging, while expanding to abstract suspensions—emotional, procedural, or systemic—reflecting the flexible English lexicon. The nuance often hinges on context: a suspended sentence is legally pending; suspended from work denotes a temporary disciplinary state, and a suspended object is literally hanging in space.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "suspended" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "suspended"
-sed sounds
-ted sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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