How to pronounce “intrigue”
“intrigue” is said two ways
/ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/
in-TREEG
To fascinate. Beat on TREEG.
/ˈɪntɹiɡ/
IN-treeg
Scheming and plotting. Often front-stressed as a noun, especially in Britain.
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: “Court intrigue used to intrigue her more than it does now.”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 “intrigue” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “intrigue” in 2 beats
intrigue
/ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/
Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈɪntɹiɡ/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪnɪn
- tɹiɡtɹiɡstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
- Respelling
- in-TREEG (verb) · IN-treeg (noun)
- Syllables
- 2 — ɪn-TɹIꞬ
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪn-TɹIꞬ. “tɹiɡ” 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 verb form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/
/ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “intrigue” goes wrong
- Often heard
“IN-treeg me”
fascinating someone is in-TREEG; IN-treeg is the plotting
What “intrigue” means
- noun
a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
- noun
a clandestine love affair
- verb
cause to be interested or curious
Say it in a sentence
“Court intrigue used to intrigue her more than it does now.”“intrigue”, answered
How do you pronounce “intrigue”?
“intrigue” has two pronunciations: /ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/ as a verb and /ˈɪntɹiɡ/ as a noun — 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 verb form. Build it as ɪn-TɹIꞬ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “intrigue” have?
2: ɪn · tɹiɡ. The beat lands on the second, “tɹiɡ”.
Which pronunciation of “intrigue” is correct?
Both are. /ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/ (in-TREEG) as a verb; /ˈɪntɹiɡ/ (IN-treeg) as a noun. 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: “Court intrigue used to intrigue her more than it does now.”
Is “intrigue” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈtɹiɡ/ (in-TREEG); British English says /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “intrigue” mean?
As a noun: a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends For example: “Court intrigue used to intrigue her more than it does now.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “intrigue”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-TɹIꞬ. “tɹiɡ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “intrigue” 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.