English spellings/Catalogs/I: Difference between revisions

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


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

Revision as of 11:15, 20 November 2013


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  


This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with I. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.

For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]


Î letter, me = eŷe sight = aŷe yes

Ìan person, cf. îron, silent r (the cricketer Ìan Bôtham—first syllable as bôth—was pronounced by some as "Îron Bóttom")

Ibìza (or -th- or -s-)

îceberg one word

Îceland -lənd

Icelándic

îcon

Îdaho

idêa *îdêə, cf. monosyllables pêa, têa, where the a is not sounded separately, = names of the letters P and T

ídeogram

idêólogy - î or í

idiosýncrasy

îdle lazy = îdol god = AmE îdyll idyllic

Idomenèo

ídyll BrE; AmE îdyll = îdle = îdol

ígnorance

ignŏre

IKÊA Î-

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

impássioned -shənd

impêach

impéccable

impêrial

impéril

ímpetus

ímpìous, cf. pîous

impŏrtance, impŏrtant

ímpotence, ímpotent

impresàrio - one hissing s

ímpress noun

impréss verb

imprimàtur, imprímatur

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

incîte provoke = in sîght looming, cf ínsight discernment

incógnito, incognìto, one word

íncòme or *ínkum

incrédible

incúmbent, cf. encúmber: minimal pair in non-rhotic pronunciations, like the standard British English of England

indepéndent, cf. depéndent adjective, depéndant noun

indepéndents = indepéndence

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

ín fáct two words

infállible

ínfamous, cf. fâmous

infatuâtion

infinitésimal

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

ínline text, cf. ín líne wíth

ínn pub = ín preposition

innovâtion

ínnovative

innuéndo

inóculate

ínpùt put in *ímpùt, cf. impûte ascribe

ínquest

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

ínroads

insâtiable

ínsight *ínsîte expertise, cf. in sîght visible = incîte provoke

insístent

ín sítu

insofàr ás

insoûciance

ín spîte óf three words

inståll (some AmE: instål)

instålled

instålment BrE; AmE instållment

instéad one word

insůre insurance, verify = ensůre verify; BrE *inshåw, AmE *inshûr [1]

insürgent, cf. sürge

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

intégral

íntegrate

intélligent

intër bury, cf. ínter- prefix

interáction

intercêde

intercéssor

interfêre

interfêrence

intêrior

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, as is òut of

íntricacy

íntricate

íntrìgue noun *íntrêeg

intrìgue verb *ín-trêeg

introspéction

íntrovërt

ínundâte

ín vâin

inválid valid

ínvalid ill

invèigle

invént

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

in-yer-fâce

îodìne BrE; AmE îodîne

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

Iôna *Î-ôna

iôta *î-ôta

Îowa

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 e.g. Irene Handl

Irêne e.g. Goodnight Irene 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

Isaîah *Î-zîə

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 (not -eâ-) *Ízrâle, *Ízrul in rapid AmE

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

íssue: *íshû is long established but is mocked by fans of the spelling pronunciation *íssyû

Istanbùl (cf. old spelling in Graham Greene’s novel title Stamboul Train, reflecting Turkish stress on a)

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