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Supposedly is pronounced suh-POH-zid-lee, with four syllables and the stress on the second. The ed is said as zid, a full syllable. American and British English say it the same way. Supposably, with a b, is a different and much rarer word.
supposedly
adverb · according to what people say or believe, though it may not be true
IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. The recording is American English.
Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.
US American English/səˈpoʊ.zɪd.li/
suh
POHstressed
zid
lee
UK British English/səˈpəʊ.zɪd.li/
suh
POHstressed
zid
lee
Press the microphone and say it once. Your browser writes down what it hears: if it writes supposedly, you were understood. If it writes another word, you see which sound changed.
Tip. The ed is a full syllable, zid. Say four syllables, suh-POH-zid-lee, and there is no b in it.
Record yourself and play it next to our recording: the quickest way to hear a difference.
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supposedly
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What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say suh-POH-zid-lee.
Notsuh-POH-zuh-blee
Saying supposably, with a b. The word you want has a d: suh-POH-zid-lee.
Notsuh-POHZD-lee
Dropping a syllable, as in supposed. Before -ly the ed is a full syllable: zid.
Notsuh-POH-zed-lee
Saying ed as a clear ed, like bed. Keep it short and weak: zid.
Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.
The film is supposedly based on a true story.
Supposedly, the shop opens at nine.
He was supposedly too ill to come to work.
Supposedly is supposed plus -ly. On its own, supposed has two syllables, suh-POHZD, because the ed is just a d sound. But when -ly is added, the ed becomes a full syllable again: suh-POH-zid-lee.
Other -edly words do the same: allegedly is uh-LEJ-id-lee, markedly is MAR-kid-lee and deservedly is dih-ZUR-vid-lee. If you drop the extra syllable, the word sounds rushed and unclear.
Supposably is a real but rare word in some dictionaries, meaning as can be supposed. Most people who say it mean supposedly. In everyday English, use supposedly, with a d and no b.
Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.
In Slova you say new words out loud in every lesson, at your level, in lessons built around what you love.