Missing the ends of words in spoken English is very common, especially when listening is challenging. Here are the main reasons:

Word endings are quiet and fast. In English, the ends of words often carry soft sounds (like s, t, d, f, k). These sounds are lower in volume, brief, and can easily get lost in noise or fast speech. So you may hear “walked to the store” as “walk… the store.”
English speakers emphasize content words (nouns, verbs) and reduce everything else. Endings like -s, -ed, and -ing are often weakened or clipped. Native speakers don’t pronounce them clearly in everyday speech.

Background noise masks high-frequency sounds. Many word endings are in the high-frequency range. Noise, distance, or poor acoustics cover these sounds first. Even mild hearing difficulty can affect access to endings. That’s why understanding drops sharply in restaurants or group settings.

The brain prioritizes meaning over detail. When listening is effortful, the brain focuses on the main message and fills in gaps using context. The brain may “let go” of grammatical details like plurals or tense.

Fast or unfamiliar speech increases cognitive load. When someone talks quickly, uses new vocabulary, or has an unfamiliar accent, the brain has less bandwidth left to decode subtle word endings.

Auditory processing (not just hearing): even with good hearing thresholds, the brain may struggle to track rapid sound changes, separate speech from noise, and old sounds in memory long enough to assemble the full word.

Why this matters: word endings carry important meaning. Plural vs singular (cat vs cats); tense (walk vs walked); possession (John vs John’s). Missing them can make English feel fuzzy or tiring—even if you “hear” most of the words. Watch this 13-second video for a real-life example!

What can be done? Auditory training and lipreading instruction can help you hear and see word endings.