-ed at the end of a word signals something has happened in the past. Easy to spell, but did you know –-ed has 3 sounds; d, t, /ed/? Below are the rules for knowing which sound to use when reading words that end in –ed.

-ed = /ed/ This sound comes after the letter t or d at the end of the root word.

Examples: melted, twisted, planted, rented, mended, printed, rusted, acted, blasted, sanded, punted, salted, landed, painted.

-ed = /d/ When the final sound of the root word is voiced (place your hand on your throat, you can feel the vibration! When a letter makes your throat vibrate, we call that sound voiced.)            

Examples: grilled, banged, smiled, saved, shelled, drilled, spilled, yelled, changed, filmed, ganged

-ed = /t/ When the final sound of the root word is unvoiced (place your hand on your throat, no vibration at the end of the root word! When a letter does not make your throat vibrate, we call that letter unvoiced.)

Examples: masked, jumped, fished, skipped, asked, camped, blocked, checked, kicked, dumped, honked, and limped.

Please help your child practice the correct sound of –ed when reading their Guided Reading books. Feel free to write words on paper and quiz your child. Also, have them state the rule to you, explaining how they knew which sound to use.