Pronunciation

How to pronounce “institutionalise

“institutionalise” is pronounced /ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/ (in-stih-TOO-shuh-nuh-lyze (UK -TYOO-)) in American English and /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪz/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “tu”.
The sound

Say “institutionalise” in 6 beats

Say it like this

institutionalise

/ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/

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

6 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. stɪstɪ
  3. tutustress
  4. ʃəʃə
  5. laɪzlaɪz
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/
IPA (British)
/ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪz/
Respelling
in-stih-TOO-shuh-nuh-lyze (UK -TYOO-)
Syllables
6 — ɪn-stɪ-TU-ʃə-nə-laɪz
Stress
Stress the third syllable: ɪn-stɪ-TU-ʃə-nə-laɪz. “tu” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/

British

/ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪz/

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

Watch out

Where “institutionalise” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    in-stih-TYOO-shuh-nuh-lyze in America

    American English says TOO; British English adds the y-glide, TYOO

Meaning

What “institutionalise” means

  1. verb

    cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution

    After the second episode, she had to be committed

Say it in a sentence

The reforms institutionalise a practice that was already common.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

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

Questions

institutionalise”, answered

How do you pronounce “institutionalise”?

“institutionalise” is pronounced /ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/ (in-stih-TOO-shuh-nuh-lyze (UK -TYOO-)) in American English and /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪz/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “tu”. Build it as ɪn-stɪ-TU-ʃə-nə-laɪz, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “institutionalise” have?

6: ɪn · stɪ · tu · ʃə · nə · laɪz. The beat lands on the third, “tu”.

Is “institutionalise” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnstɪˈtuʃənəˌlaɪz/ (in-stih-TOO-shuh-nuh-lyze (UK -TYOO-)); British English says /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “institutionalise” mean?

As a verb: cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution For example: “After the second episode, she had to be committed”

Where is the stress in “institutionalise”?

Stress the third syllable: ɪn-stɪ-TU-ʃə-nə-laɪz. “tu” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “institutionalise” and see every sound

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