Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell surprised

Surprised is spelled S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E-D.

hear itsur·prised/sɝr'praɪzd/adjectiveLong vowels

What it means: Taken unawares or suddenly feeling wonder.

In a sentence: I was surprised to see a rainbow after the rain.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: surprise, surprising, surprisingly, surpriser, astonished. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Surprised” comes from the Old French word “surprise,” meaning “unexpected attack,” from the verb “surprendre,” ‘to overtake.’ Over time, the meaning softened from being suddenly attacked to simply being suddenly amazed.

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