Pronunciation

How to pronounce “insular

“insular” is pronounced /ˈɪnsəlɚ/ (IN-suh-luh) in American English and /ɪnsjuːlə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “in”.
The sound

Say “insular” in 3 beats

Say it like this

insular

/ˈɪnsəlɚ/

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

3 beats
  1. inɪnstress
  2. sul
  3. ar
IPA (American)
/ˈɪnsəlɚ/
IPA (British)
/ɪnsjuːlə/
Respelling
IN-suh-luh
Syllables
3 — IN-sul-ar
Stress
Stress the first syllable: IN-sul-ar. “in” 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

/ˈɪnsəlɚ/

British

/ɪnsjuːlə/

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

Meaning

What “insular” means

  1. adjective

    relating to or characteristic of or situated on an island

    insular territories

  2. adjective

    suggestive of the isolated life of an island; - Leonard Michaels

    an exceedingly insular man; so deeply private as to seem inaccessible to the scrutiny of a novelist

  3. adjective

    narrowly restricted in outlook or scope

    little sympathy with parochial mentality

Say it in a sentence

Village life can become insular if nobody ever leaves.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

insular”, answered

How do you pronounce “insular”?

“insular” is pronounced /ˈɪnsəlɚ/ (IN-suh-luh) in American English and /ɪnsjuːlə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “in”. Build it as IN-sul-ar, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “insular” have?

3: in · sul · ar. The beat lands on the first, “in”.

Is “insular” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɪnsəlɚ/ (IN-suh-luh); British English says /ɪnsjuːlə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “insular” mean?

As an adjective: relating to or characteristic of or situated on an island For example: “insular territories” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “insular”?

Stress the first syllable: IN-sul-ar. “in” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “insular” 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.