How to Pronounce “infamous”

American (US)

/ˈɪn.fə.məs/

British (UK)

/ˈɪn.fə.məs/

adjective — Having a bad reputation; disreputable; notorious; unpleasant or evil; widely known, especially for something scornful.

Example: He was an infamous traitor.

Where the stress falls. “infamous” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "infamous" mean?

infamous (adjective): Having a bad reputation; disreputable; notorious; unpleasant or evil; widely known, especially for something scornful. For example — He was an infamous traitor.

How do you pronounce "infamous" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "infamous", /ˈɪn.fə.məs/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "infamous"?

/ˈɪn.fə.məs/ in American English, /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "infamous"?

“infamous” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.