English spellings/Catalogs/I

Î letter, me = eŷe sight = aŷe yes

Ìan person, cf. îron, silent r (the cricketer Ìan Bôtham—*Bôathəm—was referred to in some parts as 'Iron Bottom')

îceberg one word

Îceland -lənd

'''Icelándic

'''îcon

idêa *îdêə, cf. monosyllables pêa, têa, where the a is not sounded separately

'''ídeogram

idêólogy - î or '''í

'''idiosýncrasy

îdle lazy = îdol god = AmE îdyll ''idyllic

'''Idomenèo

ídyll BrE; AmE îdyll = îdle = '''îdol

'''ígnorance

'''ignŏre

íleum intestine = ílium ''bone

'''illegálity

illícit illegal = elícit ''get

Íllinŏis *Íllinŏi

'''íll-thŏught-òut

illûsion, íl-, cf. allûsion, əl-

illûsive illusory = elûsive ''elude

ímage -íj

'''imaginâtion

'''imágíne

imbróglio *imbrólyo

'''immêdìately

imménse cf. '''eménd

ímmigrate cf. '''émigrate

ímpact ''noun, affect

impáct ''fix, wedge

'''impâle

'''impàla

ímpásse can be pronounced, French-style, *ámpásse

'''impêach

'''impéccable

'''impêrial

'''impéril

'''ímpetus

impŏrtance, '''impŏrtant

ímpotence, '''ímpotent

impresàrio - one hissing '''s

ímpress ''noun

impréss ''verb

'''imprimàtur

'''improprîety

'''ímprovîse

improvisâtion BrE -əvî-, AmE -óví-

ímpudent -yû-

impûte ascribe cf. ínput put in *ímpùt

'''ín abséntia

'''inadvërtent

inbetwêen can be two words

íncense ''smoke

incénse ''anger

ínches *ínchíz

inchôâte ínk-

'''íncident

'''incidéntal

'''incidéntally

'''incîsor

'''incrédible

incúmbent cf. '''encúmber

indepéndent cf. depéndent adjective, depéndant ''noun

ín-dépth ''adjective

Índian - can be spelt without a capital when referring to American indians

'''Indiána

índicês, plural of '''índex

indîct *indîte, cf. '''éxtradîte

'''indígenous

'''indispénsable

'''índustry

'''indústrial

'''inévitable

'''infállible

ínfamous cf. '''fâmous

'''infátuâtion

inflámmatory -mm-

'''ínfluence

'''influéntial

ín frònt of three words

ingênious, cf. '''gênius

'''ingénûous

Ingushétia *Ingushéttia: too rare to have palatalised to -shêesha

inhérent or '''inhêrent

'''inhérit

inítial *iníshəl

inítiative *iníshətíve

ínjure cf. '''endûre

ínland adjective

inlánd adverb

ínn pub = ín ''preposition

'''innovâtion

'''ínnovative

'''innuéndo

'''inóculate

ínpùt put in *ímpùt, cf. impûte ''ascribe

inquîre, inquîry or enquîre, enquîry; AmE ínquiry = '''enquiry

'''ínroads

'''insâtiable

'''insístent

'''ín sítu

'''insoûciance

ín spîte óf three words

inståll (some AmE: instål)

instålment BrE; AmE '''instållment

instéad one word

insůre insurance, verify = ensůre verify; BrE *inshåw, AmE *inshûr

insürgent cf. '''sürge

intáct one word, cf. ín fáct (minimal pair)

'''intégral

'''íntegrate

'''intélligent

'''interáction

'''intercêde

'''intercéssor

'''interfêre

'''interfêrence

'''interlócutor

intërment burial cf. intërnment prison (minimal pair)

'''intërnal

internátional -áshnəl, cf. '''nâtion

'''internêcîne

ínternet (only the worldwide one can be capitalised: thê Ínternet)

'''intërpret

'''intërpreter

'''intervêne

'''intervéntion

'''ínterview

intestînal or '''intéstinal

íntimate adjective -ət

íntimâte ''verb

ínto *íntû or *íntə: one word - but ón to is still two

'''íntricacy

'''íntricate

íntrìgue noun *íntrêeg

intrìgue verb *ín-trêeg

'''introspéction

'''ínundâte

'''ín vâin

inválid ''valid

ínvalid ''ill

'''invèigle

'''invént

ínventory (minimal pair in British English: *ínvəntry, ínfantry)

'''in-yer-fâce

îón electron cf. îron metal, *îən, silent '''r

Iôna *Î-ôna

iôta *î-ôta

îPód ® showing a trend towards internal capitalisation ("camel case") also seen in '''EastÉnders

Irān *Í-rān, cf. îron metal, which has silent '''r

Irânian or Irànian: Hillary Clinton used both pronunciations in her speech after the 2009 Iranian election, but probably the former is more common in BrE, the latter in AmE

Irāq *Í-rāk

Irāqi -kì

irâte = '''Î râte

Îreland BrE *Îələnd, cf. îsland *îlənd

Irênê or silent final '''e

iridéscent *írridéssant

îron metal BrE *îyən, cf. îón electron, Ìan person, Iràn ''country

'''irónic

îrony *îrənỳ

'''irresístible

'''irréverent

'''irrévocable

írrigate cf. '''erádicate

Îsaac *Îzək

Ísabél, -z-, like Márian, has an o variant, '''Ísobél

îsland *îlənd, cf. '''Îreland

Íslám Íz- is probably the least affected pronunciation, though some say Íss- and/or -àm, and/or stress the second syllable

'''Islámic

Îslay *Îlə

îsle island *île = aîsle ''theatre

Îsle of Wîght *Île of Wîte

Íslington Íz-

îsobar -ss-, cf. Ísobél = Ísabél, -z-

Ísrâel *Ísreâl

Isrâeli ("Isrà-èli", common in the Arab world, is not an anglophone pronunciation)

íssue *íshû sounds less affected: *íssyû is a spelling pronunciation

Istanbùl or to please the Turks Istánbul cf. old spelling in Graham Greene’s novel title Stamboul Train

'''ísthmus

íts belonging to it = ít’s it is: ít’s for íts is probably the most common mistake of all, and an understandable one, as nouns in the genitive have 's: the dóg's tâil, but íts tâil. Compare the less notorious but similar whose of whom and who's who is, the latter similarly incorrectly used for the former

'''Îvan

'''Îvor

'''îvory

îvy plant = Îvy ''person