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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “intense”

“intense” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈtɛns/ (in-TENS) in American English and /ɪntɛns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tɛns”.
The sound

Say “intense” in 2 beats

Say it like this

intense

/ˌɪnˈtɛns/

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

2 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. tɛnstɛnsstress
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈtɛns/
IPA (British)
/ɪntɛns/
Respelling
in-TENS
Syllables
2 — ɪn-TƐNS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-TƐNS. “tɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˌɪnˈtɛns/

British

/ɪntɛns/

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

Meaning

What “intense” means

  1. adjective

    possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree

    “intense heat”

  2. adjective

    extremely sharp or intense

    “acute pain”

  3. adjective

    (of color) having the highest saturation

    “vivid green”

Say it in a sentence

“The heat in that greenhouse was intense by midday.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort inn×2ttɛshort ess

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

Questions

“intense”, answered

How do you pronounce “intense”?

“intense” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈtɛns/ (in-TENS) in American English and /ɪntɛns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tɛns”. Build it as ɪn-TƐNS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “intense” have?

2: ɪn · tɛns. The beat lands on the second, “tɛns”.

Is “intense” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈtɛns/ (in-TENS); British English says /ɪntɛns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “intense” mean?

As an adjective: possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree For example: “intense heat” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “intense”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪn-TƐNS. “tɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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