How to Pronounce “intelligence”

American (US)

/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/

British (UK)

/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/

noun — The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.

Example: intelligence quotient.

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

Where the stress falls. “intelligence” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ 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. /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ 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 "intelligence" mean?

intelligence (noun): The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence. For example — intelligence quotient.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "intelligence", /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/, 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 "intelligence"?

/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ in American English, /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "intelligence"?

“intelligence” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/ 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.