How to pronounce “incline”
“incline” is said two ways
/ˌɪnˈklaɪn/
in-KLYNE
To lean, or to be disposed towards something. Beat on KLYNE.
/ˈɪnklaɪn/
IN-klyne
A slope. Beat on IN.
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: “I incline towards the shorter route, despite the incline at the end.”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 “incline” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “incline” in 2 beats
incline
/ˌɪnˈklaɪn/
Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈɪnklaɪn/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪnˈklaɪn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪnɪn
- klaɪnklaɪnstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɪnˈklaɪn/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪnˈklaɪn/
- Respelling
- in-KLYNE (verb) · IN-klyne (noun)
- Syllables
- 2 — ɪn-KLAꞮN
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪn-KLAꞮN. “klaɪn” 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 verb form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˌɪnˈklaɪn/
/ɪnˈklaɪn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “incline” goes wrong
- Often heard
“a steep in-KLYNE”
the slope front-stresses — IN-klyne; the verb is in-KLYNE
What “incline” means
- noun
an elevated geological formation
“he climbed the steep slope”
- noun
an inclined surface connecting two levels
- verb
have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
“She tends to be nervous before her lectures”
Say it in a sentence
“I incline towards the shorter route, despite the incline at the end.”“incline”, answered
How do you pronounce “incline”?
“incline” has two pronunciations: /ˌɪnˈklaɪn/ as a verb and /ˈɪnklaɪn/ as a noun — 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 verb form. Build it as ɪn-KLAꞮN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “incline” have?
2: ɪn · klaɪn. The beat lands on the second, “klaɪn”.
Which pronunciation of “incline” is correct?
Both are. /ˌɪnˈklaɪn/ (in-KLYNE) as a verb; /ˈɪnklaɪn/ (IN-klyne) as a noun. 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: “I incline towards the shorter route, despite the incline at the end.”
Is “incline” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈklaɪn/ (in-KLYNE); British English says /ɪnˈklaɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “incline” mean?
As a noun: an elevated geological formation For example: “he climbed the steep slope” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “incline”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-KLAꞮN. “klaɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “incline” 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.