Pronunciation

How to pronounce “inconvenient

“inconvenient” is pronounced /ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/ (in-kuhn-VEE-nyuhnt) in American English and /ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ven”.
The sound

Say “inconvenient” in 4 beats

Say it like this

inconvenient

/ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

4 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. conkən
  3. venvistress
  4. ientnjənt
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/
IPA (British)
/ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/
Respelling
in-kuhn-VEE-nyuhnt
Syllables
4 — in-con-VEN-ient
Stress
Stress the third syllable: in-con-VEN-ient. “ven” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/

British

/ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “inconvenient” means

  1. adjective

    not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs

    it is inconvenient not to have a telephone in the kitchen

  2. adjective

    not conveniently timed

    an early departure is inconvenient for us

Say it in a sentence

The timing was inconvenient but nobody complained.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

inconvenient”, answered

How do you pronounce “inconvenient”?

“inconvenient” is pronounced /ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/ (in-kuhn-VEE-nyuhnt) in American English and /ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ven”. Build it as in-con-VEN-ient, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “inconvenient” have?

4: in · con · ven · ient. The beat lands on the third, “ven”.

Is “inconvenient” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnkənˈvinjənt/ (in-kuhn-VEE-nyuhnt); British English says /ɪŋkənviːnɪənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “inconvenient” mean?

As an adjective: not suited to your comfort, purpose or needs For example: “it is inconvenient not to have a telephone in the kitchen” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “inconvenient”?

Stress the third syllable: in-con-VEN-ient. “ven” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “inconvenient” 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.