American English

How to pronounce surprised

adjectiveA2Common word
suhpRAIZD

/səpˈɹaɪzd̚/

2 syllables · Stress the second syllable.

Feeling or showing that something was not expected.

What to listen for

“Surprised” may begin with “suh-” (/sə-/) or “sur-” (/sɚ-/); both are heard in American English.

“sur-” beginning/sɚpˈɹaɪzd̚/
“suh-” beginning/səpˈɹaɪzd̚/
Practice out loud

Meanings & examples

adjective

Feeling or showing that something was not expected.

I was surprised by the price.

She looked surprised to see me.

Good to know

Use surprised for the person who feels the emotion, and surprising for the thing that causes it.

Common phrases & grammar

be very surprised · look surprised · pleasantly surprised · surprised by the news

[person] be surprised by [something]

[person] be surprised to [verb]

Related words & forms