How to pronounce “intellectual”
Say “intellectual” in 5 beats
intellectual
/ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪntəlɛktʃuːəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪnɪn
- tətə
- lɛklɛkstress
- tʃutʃu
- ələl
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪntəlɛktʃuːəl/
- Also accepted
- /ˌɪnəˈlɛktʃuəl/
- Respelling
- in-tuh-LEK-choo-uhl
- Syllables
- 5 — ɪn-tə-LƐK-tʃu-əl
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: ɪn-tə-LƐK-tʃu-əl. “lɛk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/
/ɪntəlɛktʃuːəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “intellectual” means
- noun
a person who uses the mind creatively
- adjective
of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
“intellectual problems”
- adjective
appealing to or using the intellect
“satire is an intellectual weapon”
Say it in a sentence
“He is the sort of intellectual who repairs his own bicycle.”“intellectual”, answered
How do you pronounce “intellectual”?
“intellectual” is pronounced /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/ (in-tuh-LEK-choo-uhl) in American English and /ɪntəlɛktʃuːəl/ in British English, and /ˌɪnəˈlɛktʃuəl/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “lɛk”. Build it as ɪn-tə-LƐK-tʃu-əl, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “intellectual” have?
5: ɪn · tə · lɛk · tʃu · əl. The beat lands on the third, “lɛk”.
Is “intellectual” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/ (in-tuh-LEK-choo-uhl); British English says /ɪntəlɛktʃuːəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “intellectual” mean?
As a noun: a person who uses the mind creatively For example: “He is the sort of intellectual who repairs his own bicycle.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “intellectual”?
Stress the third syllable: ɪn-tə-LƐK-tʃu-əl. “lɛk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “intellectual” 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.