Short-lived is stressed on lived: /ˌʃɔːrtˈlɪvd/ or /ˌʃɔːrtˈlaɪvd/. Cambridge lists both variants for US English, so both are accepted. The /ɪ/ vowel matches the ordinary verb vowel in lived; the /aɪ/ vowel rhymes with arrived.
Mouth cues
Say short first, lighter and quicker: start with the sh sound, lips slightly rounded, air blowing past the tongue.
Press hardest on lived, the second word. Make it a touch louder and longer than short.
Choose your vowel. Cambridge lists both forms for US English, so pick from these two options: open your jaw wide for the aɪ sound as in arrived, or keep the tongue high and relaxed for the ɪ sound, close to the vowel in bit. The UK entry shows only the /ɪ/ form. Then end with a soft d: tongue ridge behind the top teeth, released gently, no extra syllable.
Saying it in a phrase
This guide covers the compound adjective short-lived, not short plus the verb lived. A /aɪ/ say-it phrase: The rebellion was short-lived. Build it from two rhyme anchors: short like report, then lived rhyming with arrived. Stress the second word only.
A /ɪ/ say-it phrase: The calm was short-lived. Same stress, new vowel: lived rhyming with slipped, tongue high and front. Both vowel variants are listed, so pick one and keep it consistent.
A /aɪ/ say-it phrase: The rumor was short-lived. Stress falls on lived, and the jaw tells the difference: wide open for /aɪ/ as in arrived, barely open for /ɪ/ as in slipped.
The meeting proved short-lived: everyone voted yes.
Vowel choice inside the word: Within the compound adjective short-lived, both vowels are listed for the i in lived: the /aɪ/ of arrived and the /ɪ/ of slipped. Since both are listed, do not copy the ordinary verb vowel automatically; pick one and keep it consistent.
Stress reminder: Whichever vowel you choose, the beat lands on lived: /ˌʃɔːrtˈlaɪvd/ or /ˌʃɔːrtˈlɪvd/. Keep short lighter and quicker than the second word.