3 syllables: im, bal, ance. Stress on bal.
im-BAL-uhns
/ɪˈmbæləns/
imbalance is pronounced im-BAL-uhns (/ɪˈmbæləns/). It has three syllables (im-bal-ance), with the stress on "bal". imbalance is a noun meaning a lack of proportion or evenness between two or more parts, or a state where components are not in proper alignment. It can also describe an uneven distribution that disrupts equilibrium. The term often appears in medical, mechanical, or social contexts to signal disruption of balance or symmetry.
imbalance is a noun meaning a lack of proportion or evenness between two or more parts, or a state where components are not in proper alignment. It can also describe an uneven distribution that disrupts equilibrium. The term often appears in medical, mechanical, or social contexts to signal disruption of balance or symmetry.
"There was an imbalance between supply and demand in the market."
"A severe vitamin deficiency caused an imbalance in calcium absorption."
"The nutrition plan aimed to correct the nutritional imbalance."
Pronounce as /ˌɪmˈbæ.ləns/ in US/UK; stress on the second syllable: im-BAL-ance. Start with a short “ih” sound, then /m/ and a clear /b/; the third syllable is a reduced /lə/ before the final /ns/. Mouth positions: lips neutral to light-rounded for the /ɪ/ and /æ/; tongue high-front for /ɪ/, then an explosive /b/ closure, followed by a schwa-like /lə/ and final /ns/. IPA guide helps confirm the rhythm and stress.
Common errors: misplacing stress (thinking it’s IM-balance); pronouncing as im-BAL-ance with wrong vowel quality; conflating the final -ance with -ance vs -ence; pronouncing the final /s/ too softly or too harshly. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with /æ/ and /l/ clear before the final /əns/; keep the final consonant crisp /ns/ without adding an extra vowel. Use minimal pairs to feel the rhythm: im-BAL-ance contrasts with BAL-ance or im-BAL-ance in isolation.
In US English, the pronunciation centers on /ˌɪmˈbæ.ləns/ with a rhotic r-like neutral vowel and a clear /æ/ in the stressed syllable. In UK English, you’ll hear /ˌɪmˈbæl.əns/ with slightly shorter schwa in the second syllable and non-rhoticity; the final /l/ tends to be darker. Australian English keeps /ˌɪmˈbæː.ləns/ with a longer /æː/ in stressed syllable and a more centralized second syllable; vowel quality is somewhat broader, and the /l/ can be clearer or more velarized depending on speaker. Overall, the main difference is vowel length and quality in the second syllable and the rhoticity of the final r-less pronunciation across accents.
Two main challenges: the stress-timing of a three-syllable word with a stressed middle syllable can collide with natural speech rhythm, and the second syllable’s vowel /æ/ sits between common vowel targets, making it easy to mispronounce as /ə/ or /eɪ/. The final -ance sequence /əns/ requires crisp alveolar /n/ and /s/ without a trailing vowel. Practicing with slow rhythm helps you hold the syllable boundary, while listening to native models clarifies the exact vowel colors and consonant release.
Does the word expose a potential unreduced syllable in fast speech? In careful speech, you pronounce im-BAL-ance with full /æ/ and /ə/ vowels; in rapid speech, the second syllable may reduce slightly to a schwa-like /ə/ while preserving the primary stress on BAL. This can lead to “im-BAL-ən(t)s” in casual contexts. Keep the canonical three-syllable rhythm in careful speech, and let it relax slightly in fast, natural delivery without losing the core /æ/ in the stressed syllable.
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imbalance comes from the prefix in- (into/not) + balance. The word balance itself traces to Old French balancer from the Late Latin balancia, with roots in the Latin libra (a pound, weight). The sense progression began with referring to a scale’s equilibrium and a balanced distribution, then extended to describe lack or disproportionality. In English, imbalance appears in the 17th century, often in contexts of engineering, medicine, and social science, denoting a deviation from a state of equilibrium. Through centuries, it retained the core idea of proportion and symmetry failing between parts, with figurative uses expanding to emotional, cognitive, and systemic contexts. The word’s prefix in- signals negation or inward direction, reinforcing that imbalance is the absence or disturbance of a stable ratio. In modern usage, it often collocates with “nutritional,” “structural,” “mechanical,” and “economic,” underscoring domain-specific deviations from a baseline balance.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "imbalance" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "imbalance"
-nce sounds
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