How to pronounce “innocuous”
Say “innocuous” in 4 beats
innocuous
/ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪnnɒkjuːəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪɪ
- nɑnɑstress
- kjukju
- əsəs
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪnnɒkjuːəs/
- Respelling
- i-NAH-kyoo-uhs
- Syllables
- 4 — ɪ-NⱭ-kju-əs
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪ-NⱭ-kju-əs. “nɑ” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/
/ɪnnɒkjuːəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “innocuous” means
- adjective
not injurious to physical or mental health
- adjective
not causing disapproval
“it was an innocuous remark”
- adjective
lacking intent or capacity to injure
“an innocent prank”
Say it in a sentence
“The question seemed innocuous until you thought about it.”“innocuous”, answered
How do you pronounce “innocuous”?
“innocuous” is pronounced /ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/ (i-NAH-kyoo-uhs) in American English and /ɪnnɒkjuːəs/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “nɑ”. Build it as ɪ-NⱭ-kju-əs, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “innocuous” have?
4: ɪ · nɑ · kju · əs. The beat lands on the second, “nɑ”.
Is “innocuous” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/ (i-NAH-kyoo-uhs); British English says /ɪnnɒkjuːəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “innocuous” mean?
As an adjective: not injurious to physical or mental health For example: “The question seemed innocuous until you thought about it.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “innocuous”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪ-NⱭ-kju-əs. “nɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “innocuous” 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.