How to Pronounce “island”

American (US)

/ˈaɪlənd/

British (UK)

/ˈaɪlənd/

noun — A piece of land completely surrounded by water.

Example: The island can only be reached by ferry.

The s is silent. The s in “island” is not pronounced — another letter added to the spelling for etymological reasons rather than to record a sound.

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

island (noun): A piece of land completely surrounded by water. For example — The island can only be reached by ferry.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "island", /ˈaɪlənd/, 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 "island"?

/ˈaɪlənd/ in American English, /ˈaɪlənd/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "island"?

“island” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈaɪlənd/ 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.

• Silent S words