How to pronounce “insult”
“insult” is said two ways
/ˈɪnˌsʌlt/
IN-sult
The remark itself. Beat on IN.
/ˌɪnˈsʌlt/
in-SULT
To offend someone. Beat on SULT.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “He did not mean to insult her, but the insult landed anyway.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “insult” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “insult” in 2 beats
insult
/ˈɪnˌsʌlt/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɪnsʌlt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- inɪn
- sultsʌltstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɪnˌsʌlt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɪnsʌlt/
- Respelling
- IN-sult (noun) · in-SULT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — in-SULT
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: in-SULT. “sult” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈɪnˌsʌlt/
/ˈɪnsʌlt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “insult” goes wrong
- Often heard
“do not IN-sult me”
the act is in-SULT; IN-sult is the remark
What “insult” means
- noun
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
“when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse”
- noun
a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect
“turning his back on me was a deliberate insult”
- verb
treat, mention, or speak to rudely
“He insulted her with his rude remarks”
Say it in a sentence
“He did not mean to insult her, but the insult landed anyway.”“insult”, answered
How do you pronounce “insult”?
“insult” has two pronunciations: /ˈɪnˌsʌlt/ as a noun and /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. Build it as in-SULT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “insult” have?
2: in · sult. The beat lands on the second, “sult”.
Which pronunciation of “insult” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɪnˌsʌlt/ (IN-sult) as a noun; /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/ (in-SULT) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “He did not mean to insult her, but the insult landed anyway.”
Is “insult” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɪnˌsʌlt/ (IN-sult); British English says /ˈɪnsʌlt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “insult” mean?
As a noun: a rude expression intended to offend or hurt For example: “when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “insult”?
Stress the second syllable: in-SULT. “sult” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “insult” 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.