How to Pronounce “ingredient”

American (US)

/ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/

British (UK)

/ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/

noun — One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food.

Example: The ingredients of a Spanish omelette are potatoes, eggs, onion, and a little salt.

Where the stress falls. “ingredient” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ 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 "ingredient" mean?

ingredient (noun): One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food. For example — The ingredients of a Spanish omelette are potatoes, eggs, onion, and a little salt.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "ingredient", /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, 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 "ingredient"?

/ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ in American English, /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "ingredient"?

“ingredient” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.