WITH-urd
/ˈwɪðɚd/
withered is pronounced WITH-urd (/ˈwɪðɚd/). Withered describes something that has lost freshness, vitality, or moisture, appearing shriveled or dried. It conveys a sense of aging, decay, or wear, often used for plants, tissues, or expressions. The term implies a completed state of decline rather than an ongoing process.
Withered describes something that has lost freshness, vitality, or moisture, appearing shriveled or dried. It conveys a sense of aging, decay, or wear, often used for plants, tissues, or expressions. The term implies a completed state of decline rather than an ongoing process.
- You may substitute /ð/ with /d/ or /z/; practice the dental fricative by placing the tongue gently against the upper teeth and blowing air; keep the voice on. - Tendency to reduce /ˈwɪ/ to /wə/ or to over-round /w/; keep the first syllable crisp with /ɪ/ rather than a reduced vowel. - Ending /ərd/ can be pronounced as a light /ər/ then /d/ or as /ərd/ with less emphasis; practice a clean /d/ to avoid a flap. - In connected speech, you might lose the /ð/ when talking fast; slow down to maintain precise contact, then speed up gradually.
"The once vibrant leaves lay withered on the ground after the long drought."
"Her smile was withered by years of worry, though she remained hopeful."
"The footage showed withered fruit hanging from the branches, ripe for harvest."
You say it as /ˈwɪðərd/ in US and UK varieties; stress on the first syllable. The initial /w/ is voiced with rounded lips, followed by /ɪ/ as a short, lax vowel, then /ð/ (voiced dental fricative) between the tongue and upper teeth, then /ər/ as a schwa with r-coloring in rhotic accents, ending with /d/. In careful speech you’ll hear a quick, light /ər/ before the final /d/.
Common errors include replacing /ð/ with /θ/ (thoughtsound) as in ‘wirtered’ and slurring the /ər/ into a simple /ə/ or /ɚ/ without rhotic coloring. Another mistake is misplacing the tongue for /ð/, producing a bilabial or alveolar substitute. Focus on keeping the dental fricative /ð/ distinct, and avoid turning /wɪ/ into /wə/ or elongating the vowel. Practice the exact energic + light /ð/ and a crisp final /d/.
US: /ˈwɪðərd/ with rhotic /r/ and a slightly schwa-like /ə/ in the second syllable. UK: /ˈwɪðəd/ often less rhotic, with a shorter second vowel and less pronounced /r/; the /ə/ may be more centralized. AU: similar to UK but with broader vowel quality; /ɪ/ may be slightly tenser, and the /ɜː/ or /ə/ in the second syllable can vary. Key differences: rhoticity, vowel height, and vowel length in the second syllable.
The difficulty centers on the dental fricative /ð/, which is less common in many learners’ languages, plus the two-syllable rhythm with a reduced second syllable that can become a noisy /ər/ or /ə/. Also, the tense-vowel transition from /ɪ/ to /ð/ requires precise tongue placement and breath control, and maintaining a crisp /d/ at the end without voicing the last sound. Focusing on dental contact and final stop closure helps.
The word 'withered' is the past participle/adjective form of 'wither', not a plural of 'withers.' The key is its stative use: it names a finished state rather than ongoing action. Emphasize the final /d/ as a true stop to avoid eliding the ending.
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- US: maintain rhotic /r/ in the second syllable; keep /ɪ/ short and crisp. - UK: reduce rhoticity in some dialects; the second vowel may be a schwa; keep /ð/ clear. - AU: generally non-rhotic in some contexts; however, the influence of neighboring vowels tends to preserve a clearer /ð/; ensure vowel quality remains compact. - IPA references: US /ˈwɪðərd/, UK /ˈwɪðəd/, AU /ˈwɪðəd/.
The adjective withered comes from Old English wiðerian, wiðerian, meaning to make wet or to wither, with the underlying sense of shrinking or fading away. The form evolves from Proto-Germanic *widaną, related to Old English wiðer and Middle English wightered, reflecting the process-of-state suffixing. In Middle English, withered could describe literal withering or metaphorical decline, such as age or sorrow, preserving both physical and figurative meanings. The modern sense crystallized by early Modern English, aligning with other decay-related terms like wither and withering. First known usage traces to early English literature and legal/poetic records, where landscapes, plants, and people were described as “withered” to convey vitality loss or exhaustion. Over time, the word broadened to refer to any condition showing dried, shriveled, or diminished form, transcending botanical contexts to describe emotional or social degradation. The etymological journey highlights a semantic expansion from a physical process (to wither) to a state of condition (withered) across centuries, maintaining a core image of contraction and dulling vitality.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "withered" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "withered"
-red sounds
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