/ɪd/ (an extra syllable) ONLY after a t or d: committed = "commit-id", updated = "update-id", deleted = "delete-id".
The big mistake is adding a syllable everywhere — saying "ask-ED" or "cash-ED". Only words already ending in t/d take the extra "-id" syllable.
In context: "I pushed the branch" = "I PUSHT the branch"; "the value is cached" = "the value is KASHT".
2 / 5
How are the plurals caches and queries pronounced?
The -es / -ies plural rule:
caches /ˈkæʃɪz/ — "KASH-iz" — after a hissing/hushing sound (s, z, sh, ch, x), the plural -es adds a whole syllable "-iz". So "cache" (one syllable, "kash") becomes "caches" (two syllables, "KASH-iz"). Same pattern: branches = "BRANCH-iz", classes = "CLASS-iz", boxes = "BOX-iz".
queries /ˈkwɪəriz/ — "KWEER-eez" — a word ending in consonant + y changes y → ies, pronounced "-eez". "query" ("KWEER-ee") → "queries" ("KWEER-eez"). Same: dependencies, repositories, libraries.
Note "cache" itself is just /kæʃ/ — "kash" — one syllable, like "cash". It is NOT "ka-SHAY" (that is "cachet" /kæˈʃeɪ/, a different word).
In context: "clear the caches", "run the queries".
3 / 5
The verbs determine and examine share an ending. How is it pronounced?
Determine and examine — the "-mine" ending is reduced:
determine /dɪˈtɜːmɪn/ — "de-TER-min" — the last syllable is a weak "min" /mɪn/, NOT "mine". Stress on the 2nd syllable.
examine /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/ — "ex-AM-in" — again "in" /ɪn/, not "ine". Stress on the 2nd. (Note the x sounds like "gz" here.)
A frequent error is rhyming these with "mine" / "nine". The verb endings -mine and -ine are usually reduced to /ɪn/ or /ən/ when unstressed.
Same reduced-ending family:
imagine — "im-AJ-in"
genuine — "JEN-yoo-in" (NOT "genu-WINE")
discipline — "DIS-i-plin"
In context: "determine the root cause", "examine the logs". End them softly: "-min" / "-in".
4 / 5
How are genuine and infinite pronounced?
Genuine and infinite — both have reduced, unstressed endings:
genuine /ˈdʒɛnjuɪn/ — "JEN-yoo-in" — the ending is a weak "-in", NOT "-wine". Stress on the first syllable. Saying "genu-WINE" is one of the most common non-native errors. (Compare the chemical "iodine" which DOES end in "-dine"/"dyne" — but everyday adjectives like genuine do not.)
infinite /ˈɪnfɪnət/ — "IN-fi-nit" — three syllables, stress on the first, ending in a weak "-nit". NOT "in-fi-NITE". The verb-like "-ite" is reduced because the stress is up front.
Contrast — the related noun keeps a fuller vowel:
infinity /ɪnˈfɪnəti/ — "in-FIN-i-tee" — stress moves to the 2nd syllable.
In context: "an infinite loop" = "an IN-fi-nit loop"; "a genuine bug" = "a JEN-yoo-in bug".
5 / 5
The adjectives finite and definite end the same way on paper. Are they pronounced the same?
Finite vs definite — same spelling ending, different sound:
finite /ˈfaɪnaɪt/ — "FY-nite" — the second syllable keeps a full "-nite" that rhymes with "night". Stress on the first, but the ending is NOT reduced here. ("a finite state machine", "finite resources".)
definite /ˈdɛfɪnət/ — "DEF-i-nit" — three syllables, and the ending IS reduced to a weak "-nit". NOT "def-i-NITE". ("a definite answer", "definite improvement".)
Why the difference? In "finite", the "-nite" carries a secondary stress and stays full; in the longer "definite", the final syllable is unstressed and collapses to /nət/. The spelling is misleading.
Related family:
definitely /ˈdɛfɪnətli/ — "DEF-i-nit-lee" (4 syllables — a famously misspelled word too)