2 syllables: Swal, lowed. Stress on Swal.
SWAH-lohd
/ˈswɑloʊd/
Swallowed is pronounced SWAH-lohd (/ˈswɑloʊd/). It has two syllables (Swal-lowed), with the stress on "Swal". Swallowed is an adjective meaning something that has been engulfed or consumed, often with the sense of being unable to see or resist, as in concealing or hiding what was eaten or held. It can describe a person who is overwhelmed, or something that has been ingested, typically used in medical, meteorological, or metaphorical contexts. The term emphasizes completed action or state, rather than ongoing activity.
adjectiveSwallowed is an adjective meaning something that has been engulfed or consumed, often with the sense of being unable to see or resist, as in concealing or hiding what was eaten or held. It can describe a person who is overwhelmed, or something that has been ingested, typically used in medical, meteorological, or metaphorical contexts. The term emphasizes completed action or state, rather than ongoing activity.
- You may produce a split where you force a separate syllable between /l/ and /oʊ/. Instead, blend /l/ into the second syllable: /ˈswɒl.əʊd/ with the 'l' ending the first syllable and leading into /əʊd/. - Another frequent error is rounding or misplacing the second vowel: avoid a tight /oʊ/; aim for a relaxed /əʊ/ that combines with the preceding /l/. - Some speakers devoice the final /d/ or delete it in rapid speech. Practice with a crisp final /d/ to maintain word integrity. - Stress drift can occur, with some pronouncing it as /ˈswɑː.lɔːd/ in some dialects. Keep primary stress on the first syllable and ensure the second syllable remains unstressed.
How to Pronounce Swallowed
"The swallowed pill should not be taken on an empty stomach."
"A swallowed lie can be hard to uncover, but the truth eventually surfaces."
"He looked swallowed by the crowd, barely making himself noticed."
/ˈswɒl.əʊd/ in UK/US variants with a primary stress on the first syllable. In US English it is often /ˈswɑː.loʊd/ or /ˈswɒl.oʊd/ depending on speaker, but the common pattern is SWAL- as in 'swal' with a broad vowel, followed by a light 'owed' syllable. Start with an open back unrounded vowel for the first vowel, then glide to /oʊ/ in the second, finishing with /d/. Mouth positions: lip rounding is subtle on the second syllable; keep the tongue relaxed after the /l/.
Common errors include treating the first syllable as /ˈswɑː/ with a long open quality in every speaker, and over-articulating the final 'ed' as /-ɪd/ or /-əd/. Another frequent slip is misplacing the /l/ between /w/ and /əʊ/ or gliding from /w/ directly into /oʊ/. Correct it by splitting clearly: /ˈswɒl/ + /oʊd/ or /ˈswɑː/ + /loʊd/ and keeping the final /d/ a light, precise stop. Practice minimal pairs to avoid vowel dragging between syllables.
In US English, the first syllable often carries strong /ɑː/ or /ɒ/ depending on region, with a clear /ˈswɑː.loʊd/. UK English typically uses /ˈswɒl.əʊd/, with a shorter /ɒ/ and a schwa-like second syllable, while Australian pronunciation tends toward /ˈswɒ.lɔːd/ with a rounded second vowel and a more open final diphthong. Rhoticity doesn’t affect the word much since the final cluster ends in /d/, but the vowel colors and the rounding of the second syllable vary by dialect.
The difficulty lies in the two-part vowel glide across syllables, especially moving from the broad open first vowel to the mid-to-high back diphthong in the second syllable without inserting an extra syllable. The /l/ quickly followed by /ə/ can blur in rapid speech, and the final /d/ can be devoiced or elided in casual speech. Mastery requires precise tongue position to keep the /l/ distinct and to produce the /oʊ/ diphthong without undue lip tension.
A key feature is the transition from a voiced alveolar approximant /l/ to a mid-back rounded diphthong /oʊ/ (or /əʊ/ in UK). It showcases how vowel quality and rhotics influence perception in connected speech, even though /r/ is not present. The challenge is maintaining a crisp /l/ while smoothly moving into the second syllable’s diphthong, which requires careful tongue retraction and lip relaxation between stages.
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- US: Focus on a clear /ɑː/ or /ɒ/ in the first syllable, then a bright diphthong /oʊ/ with a light /d/. Maintain rhoticity focus, even in some regional variants, ensuring no extra syllables. - UK: Use /ˈswɒl.əʊd/, with a shorter first vowel and a lighter second syllable; avoid over-enunciating the /l/ leading to a longer second vowel. The /ə/ in the middle should be a quick schwa. - AU: Typically /ˈswɒ.lɔːd/, with a broad, rounded second vowel; ensure the /l/ remains clear and the final /d/ is crisp rather than hush. IPA guidance helps track vowel shifts across accents.
Swallowed derives from the verb swallow, which comes from Old English swalwan or swealwan, meaning to engulf, gulp, or cause to go down the throat. The participial form swallowed (before it became an adjective) dates to the Middle English period, retaining the sense of something that has already passed through the mouth and throat. The core semantic development centers on consumption and engulfment, extended metaphorically to describe emotions (for example, swallowed pride) and states of being overwhelmed. The word swallow itself traces to Proto-Germanic swalwan, with cognates in various Germanic languages, and possibly related to Latin silere (to swallow) via later linguistic routes. In modern usage, swallowed emphasizes completed action or resultant state, and is frequently used in medical, culinary, and literary contexts. First known written attestations surface in medieval texts, evolving from literal ingestion to figurative states (e.g., swallowed up by fear). Contemporary usage spans literal ingestion (a swallowed dose) to idiomatic expressions (swallowed pride), illustrating a robust semantic shift from physical action to abstract condition, preserved in both American and British English, as well as in Australian usage, with minor stylistic preferences.
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Words that rhyme with "Swallowed"
-wed sounds
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