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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “intelligent”

“intelligent” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/ (in-TE-luh-juhnt) in American English and /ɪntɛlɪdʒənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “tel”.
The sound

Say “intelligent” in 4 beats

Say it like this

intelligent

/ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/

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

4 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. teltɛstress
  3. liglə
  4. entdʒənt
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/
IPA (British)
/ɪntɛlɪdʒənt/
Respelling
in-TE-luh-juhnt
Syllables
4 — in-TEL-lig-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: in-TEL-lig-ent. “tel” 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

/ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/

British

/ɪntɛlɪdʒənt/

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

Meaning

What “intelligent” means

  1. adjective

    having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree

    “is there intelligent life in the universe?”

  2. adjective

    possessing sound knowledge

    “well-informed readers”

  3. adjective

    exercising or showing good judgment

    “healthy scepticism”

Say it in a sentence

“Crows are intelligent enough to recognise faces for years.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort inn×2tt×2ɛshort elləschwa×2dʒj

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

Questions

“intelligent”, answered

How do you pronounce “intelligent”?

“intelligent” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/ (in-TE-luh-juhnt) in American English and /ɪntɛlɪdʒənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “tel”. Build it as in-TEL-lig-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “intelligent” have?

4: in · tel · lig · ent. The beat lands on the second, “tel”.

Is “intelligent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈtɛlədʒənt/ (in-TE-luh-juhnt); British English says /ɪntɛlɪdʒənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “intelligent” mean?

As an adjective: having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree For example: “is there intelligent life in the universe?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “intelligent”?

Stress the second syllable: in-TEL-lig-ent. “tel” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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