Pronunciation

How to pronounce “inequality

“inequality” is pronounced /ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/ (i-ni-KWAH-luh-tee) in American English and /ɪniːkwɒlɪti/ in British English, and /ˌɪnəˈkwɑləti/ and /ˈɪniˈkwɑləti/ are also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ual”.
The sound

Say “inequality” in 5 beats

Say it like this

inequality

/ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/

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

5 beats
  1. inɪ
  2. eq
  3. ualkwɑstress
  4. it
  5. yti
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/
IPA (British)
/ɪniːkwɒlɪti/
Also accepted
/ˌɪnəˈkwɑləti/
Also accepted
/ˈɪniˈkwɑləti/
Respelling
i-ni-KWAH-luh-tee
Syllables
5 — in-eq-UAL-it-y
Stress
Stress the third syllable: in-eq-UAL-it-y. “ual” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/

British

/ɪniːkwɒlɪti/

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

Meaning

What “inequality” means

  1. noun

    lack of equality

    the growing inequality between rich and poor

Say it in a sentence

The report measures inequality between the city and the coast.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

inequality”, answered

How do you pronounce “inequality”?

“inequality” is pronounced /ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/ (i-ni-KWAH-luh-tee) in American English and /ɪniːkwɒlɪti/ in British English, and /ˌɪnəˈkwɑləti/ and /ˈɪniˈkwɑləti/ are also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ual”. Build it as in-eq-UAL-it-y, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “inequality” have?

5: in · eq · ual · it · y. The beat lands on the third, “ual”.

Is “inequality” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnɪˈkwɑləti/ (i-ni-KWAH-luh-tee); British English says /ɪniːkwɒlɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “inequality” mean?

As a noun: lack of equality For example: “the growing inequality between rich and poor”

Where is the stress in “inequality”?

Stress the third syllable: in-eq-UAL-it-y. “ual” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “inequality” 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.