Pronunciation

How to pronounce “inherent

“inherent” is pronounced /ɪnˈhɪɹənt/ (in-HI-ruhnt) in American English and /ɪnhiəɹənt/ in British English, and /ɪnˈhɛɹənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “her”.
The sound

Say “inherent” in 3 beats

Say it like this

inherent

/ɪnˈhɪɹənt/

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

3 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. herstress
  3. entɹənt
IPA (American)
/ɪnˈhɪɹənt/
IPA (British)
/ɪnhiəɹənt/
Also accepted
/ɪnˈhɛɹənt/
Respelling
in-HI-ruhnt
Syllables
3 — in-HER-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: in-HER-ent. “her” 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

/ɪnˈhɪɹənt/

British

/ɪnhiəɹənt/

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

Meaning

What “inherent” means

  1. adjective

    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic

    the Ptolemaic system with its built-in concept of periodicity

  2. adjective

    in the nature of something though not readily apparent

    shortcomings inherent in our approach

Say it in a sentence

There is an inherent risk in walking that cliff path.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

inherent”, answered

How do you pronounce “inherent”?

“inherent” is pronounced /ɪnˈhɪɹənt/ (in-HI-ruhnt) in American English and /ɪnhiəɹənt/ in British English, and /ɪnˈhɛɹənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “her”. Build it as in-HER-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “inherent” have?

3: in · her · ent. The beat lands on the second, “her”.

Is “inherent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪnˈhɪɹənt/ (in-HI-ruhnt); British English says /ɪnhiəɹənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “inherent” mean?

As an adjective: existing as an essential constituent or characteristic For example: “the Ptolemaic system with its built-in concept of periodicity” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “inherent”?

Stress the second syllable: in-HER-ent. “her” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “inherent” and see every sound

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