How to pronounce “incense”
“incense” is said two ways
/ˈɪnˌsɛns/
IN-sense
The scented smoke. Beat on IN.
/ˌɪnˈsɛns/
in-SENSE
To make someone furious. Beat on SENSE.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “The smell of incense seemed to incense everyone on the top floor.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “incense” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “incense” in 2 beats
incense
/ˈɪnˌsɛns/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ˌɪnˈsɛns/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɪnsɛns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪnɪn
- sɛnssɛnsstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɪnˌsɛns/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɪnsɛns/
- Respelling
- IN-sense (noun) · in-SENSE (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — ɪn-SƐNS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪn-SƐNS. “sɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈɪnˌsɛns/
/ˈɪnsɛns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “incense” goes wrong
- Often heard
“IN-sense the neighbours”
enraging people is in-SENSE; IN-sense is what burns in the temple
What “incense” means
- noun
a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
- noun
the pleasing scent produced when incense is burned
“incense filled the room”
- verb
perfume especially with a censer
Say it in a sentence
“The smell of incense seemed to incense everyone on the top floor.”“incense”, answered
How do you pronounce “incense”?
“incense” has two pronunciations: /ˈɪnˌsɛns/ as a noun and /ˌɪnˈsɛns/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. Build it as ɪn-SƐNS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “incense” have?
2: ɪn · sɛns. The beat lands on the second, “sɛns”.
Which pronunciation of “incense” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɪnˌsɛns/ (IN-sense) as a noun; /ˌɪnˈsɛns/ (in-SENSE) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “The smell of incense seemed to incense everyone on the top floor.”
Is “incense” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɪnˌsɛns/ (IN-sense); British English says /ˈɪnsɛns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “incense” mean?
As a noun: a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned For example: “The smell of incense seemed to incense everyone on the top floor.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “incense”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-SƐNS. “sɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “incense” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.