⚠️ “read” changes pronunciation with tense!
/riːd/
present tense
/rɛd/
past tense (same spelling!)
read is an irregular verb — the past tense keeps the same spelling but changes pronunciation completely. Compare with ready, which shares the /rɛ/ sound with the past tense form.
present tense — 'I read books every day' (right now or habitual)
mouth shape
lips stretched wide — long /iː/ like 'see', 'feed', 'need' — hold the vowel
read
/riːd/
vowel length
past tense — 'I read that book yesterday' — same spelling, completely different vowel
mouth shape
mouth opens slightly more than for /ɪ/ — short /ɛ/ like 'bed', 'said', 'head'
read
/rɛd/
vowel length
adjective — 'Are you ready?' — shares the /rɛ/ sound with past-tense 'read'
mouth shape
starts with the same /ɛ/ as past-tense 'read' — then adds a short /i/ ending
ready
/ˈrɛdi/
vowel length
Key difference
Present-tense read /riːd/ — long /iː/, lips wide like “cheese.” Past-tense read /rɛd/ — short /ɛ/, rhymes with bed and said.ready /ˈrɛdi/ — shares the /rɛ/ opening with the past form, then adds a /di/ ending.
Example sentences
present /riːd/:“I read a book every night.”
past /rɛd/:“I read that book last year.”
ready /ˈrɛdi/:“Are you ready to go?”
Hear it in a sentence
“She read the entire novel in a single rainy afternoon.”
“She loves to read on the train every morning.”
“The team was ready ten minutes before kick-off.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
read
Hear native speakers say “read” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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ready
Hear native speakers say “ready” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
read family ▸
ready family ▸
Related pairs
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