TAY-buhld
/ˈteɪbəld/
tabled is pronounced TAY-buhld (/ˈteɪbəld/). Tabled is the past tense verb form meaning to postpone or submit for consideration, or, in a parliamentary or formal setting, to present a tabled document. In British usage it often means to postpone, while in American English it more commonly means to present for discussion. The word combines the noun table with the -ed suffix, yielding distinct pronunciations in different contexts.
Tabled is the past tense verb form meaning to postpone or submit for consideration, or, in a parliamentary or formal setting, to present a tabled document. In British usage it often means to postpone, while in American English it more commonly means to present for discussion. The word combines the noun table with the -ed suffix, yielding distinct pronunciations in different contexts.
"The committee tabled the motion for further discussion next week."
"In America, the senator tabled the amendment for debate during the plenary session."
"She tabled the proposal in the meeting packet, awaiting a vote."
US/UK/AU IPA: US /ˈteɪ.bəld/, UK /ˈteɪ.bəlt/, AU /ˈteɪ.bəlt/. The first syllable is stressed. The vowel is a long 'a' as in 'day'. The final -ed is pronounced as /d/ after a voiced segment (the /l/ and /d/ combination makes the ending a /ld/ cluster in US and AU; in UK, you’ll hear a /lt/ ending due to the alveolar flap becoming a lighter /t/). Mouth position: start with a tense open-mid front vowel for /eɪ/, then close with a light schwa-like /ə/ before the /l/ and the final /d/ or /t/.
Common mistakes include: (1) Dropping the /l/ or misplacing it, resulting in /ˈteɪ.bəd/ or /ˈteɪ.bəɡ/; (2) pronouncing the final as /t/ in all contexts, which can sound clipped in US when the preceding consonant is voiced; and (3) mis-stressing the second syllable. Correction: clearly articulate the /l/ before the final consonant, keep the first syllable as /teɪ/ with a crisp /b/ onset for the second syllable, then edge into /ld/ in US/AU or /lt/ in UK, ensuring the final consonant matches the dialect’s final- cluster realization.
US/AU: stress on the first syllable with /ˈteɪ.bəld/ or /ˈteɪ.bəlt/ depending on dialect, final cluster /ld/ in US; UK often realizes final as /lt/ with a lighter /t/ release in careful speech. Vowel quality: /eɪ/ in both, but American /ɪ/ is less centralized; Australian tends toward a closer front vowel realization. Rhoticity can subtly color the /r/ influence in connected speech around the phrase boundary; however, the core vowel and consonants stay the same in this word, emphasizing the /teɪ/ on the first syllable and the dental/alveolar final consonant combination.
Key difficulty lies in the final cluster of alveolar nasal and stop: /ld/ (US/AU) or /lt/ (UK) after a stressed first syllable. The /l/ position requires the tongue contact behind the upper teeth, with the trailing /d/ or /t/ release being soft in careful speech. Learners often smooth over the /l/ or tense the /d/ too much, creating a melded sound like /ˈteɪbəd/ or /ˈteɪbət/. Focus on precise tongue contact, a brief /l/ before the final stop, and crisp release.
Stress is on the first syllable: /ˈteɪ.bəld/ (US/AU) or /ˈteɪ.bəlt/ (UK) with a clear, strong vowel on /eɪ/. The unique feature is the final consonant cluster: /ld/ or /lt/. Make sure the /l/ is released with the following voiced /d/ (or voiceless /t/ in UK) and the second syllable remains light, avoiding overemphasis. The diacritical nuance is the transition from the stressed nucleus to a light schwa-like /ə/ before the final consonant cluster.
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The term tabled traces to table, from Old French tabl(e) or tabula via Latin tabula, meaning a board or flat surface. In parliamentary contexts, to table a document originally meant to lay it on the table for inspection or discussion, which over time broadened to mean posting a proposal for consideration. In British English, table has historically carried the sense of postponement—placing a matter on the table for later attention—while American usage shifted toward presenting or submitting something for immediate debate. The dual meanings have coexisted since the 18th and 19th centuries as parliaments and legislative bodies adopted distinct procedural norms. The first known usage in English can be traced to formal records where documents were literally laid on a table for communal review, then metaphorically extended to the act of proposing or delaying actions. In contemporary discourse, “tabled” often signals formal submission (US) or temporary postponement (UK), reflecting divergent parliamentary conventions that persist in modern usage across varieties of English.
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Words that rhyme with "tabled"
-led sounds
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