How to Pronounce “innocence”

American (US)

/ˈɪnəsn̩s/

British (UK)

/ˈɪnəsn̩s/

noun — Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.

Example: Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “innocence” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “innocence” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ 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. /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ 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 "innocence" mean?

innocence (noun): Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc. For example — Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "innocence", /ˈɪnəsn̩s/, 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 "innocence"?

/ˈɪnəsn̩s/ in American English, /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "innocence"?

“innocence” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ 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.