How to pronounce “increase”
“increase” is said two ways
/ˈɪnˌkɹis/
IN-krees
The rise, as a thing. Beat on IN.
/ˌɪnˈkɹis/
in-KREES
To go up. Beat on KREES.
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: “Fares will increase again, and the increase lands in April.”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 “increase” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “increase” in 2 beats
increase
/ˈɪnˌkɹis/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ˌɪnˈkɹis/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɪnkɹiːs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪnɪn
- kɹiskɹisstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɪnˌkɹis/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɪnkɹiːs/
- Respelling
- IN-krees (noun) · in-KREES (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — ɪn-KɹIS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪn-KɹIS. “kɹis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
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.
/ˈɪnˌkɹis/
/ˈɪnkɹiːs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “increase” goes wrong
- Often heard
“an IN-krees in prices said as in-KREES”
the noun front-stresses; only the verb is in-KREES
What “increase” means
- noun
a quantity that is added
“there was an addition to property taxes this year”
- noun
a change resulting in an increase
“the increase is scheduled for next month”
- noun
a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important
“the increase in unemployment”
Say it in a sentence
“Fares will increase again, and the increase lands in April.”“increase”, answered
How do you pronounce “increase”?
“increase” has two pronunciations: /ˈɪnˌkɹis/ as a noun and /ˌɪnˈkɹis/ 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-KɹIS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “increase” have?
2: ɪn · kɹis. The beat lands on the second, “kɹis”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (an IN-krees in prices said as in-KREES), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.
Which pronunciation of “increase” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɪnˌkɹis/ (IN-krees) as a noun; /ˌɪnˈkɹis/ (in-KREES) 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: “Fares will increase again, and the increase lands in April.”
Is “increase” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɪnˌkɹis/ (IN-krees); British English says /ˈɪnkɹiːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “increase” mean?
As a noun: a quantity that is added For example: “there was an addition to property taxes this year” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “increase”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-KɹIS. “kɹis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “increase” 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.