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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “involve”

“involve” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɑlv/ (in-VAHLV) in American English and /ɪnvɒlv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɑlv”.
The sound

Say “involve” in 2 beats

Say it like this

involve

/ˌɪnˈvɑlv/

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

2 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. vɑlvvɑlvstress
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈvɑlv/
IPA (British)
/ɪnvɒlv/
Respelling
in-VAHLV
Syllables
2 — ɪn-VⱭLV
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-VⱭLV. “vɑlv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnˈvɑlv/

British

/ɪnvɒlv/

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

Meaning

What “involve” means

  1. verb

    connect closely and often incriminatingly

    “This new ruling affects your business”

  2. verb

    engage as a participant

    “Don't involve me in your family affairs!”

  3. verb

    have as a necessary feature

    “This decision involves many changes”

Say it in a sentence

“The repairs will involve lifting half the kitchen floor.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort innvv×2ɑahll

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

Questions

“involve”, answered

How do you pronounce “involve”?

“involve” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɑlv/ (in-VAHLV) in American English and /ɪnvɒlv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɑlv”. Build it as ɪn-VⱭLV, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “involve” have?

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

Is “involve” said differently in British English?

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

What does “involve” mean?

As a verb: connect closely and often incriminatingly For example: “This new ruling affects your business” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “involve”?

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

Practise this word

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