2 syllables: In, cline. Stress on cline.
in-KLEYEN
/ˌɪnˈklaɪn/
Incline is pronounced in-KLEYEN (/ˌɪnˈklaɪn/). It has two syllables (In-cline), with the stress on "cline". Incline (noun) refers to a sloping surface or plane that rises at an angle, or an upward trend or tendency. It denotes a slope, tilt, or inclination in physical form or metaphorical direction. In usage, it often describes a gradual ascent, a predisposition, or a leaning toward a particular stance or outcome.
nounIncline (noun) refers to a sloping surface or plane that rises at an angle, or an upward trend or tendency. It denotes a slope, tilt, or inclination in physical form or metaphorical direction. In usage, it often describes a gradual ascent, a predisposition, or a leaning toward a particular stance or outcome.
"The hiking trail won’t be flat—the path has a gentle incline that makes the climb doable."
"There’s an incline in sales this quarter, showing improving demand."
"Her head tilted with an incline as she listened more closely to the speaker."
Say IN-cline with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈɪn.klaɪn/. Start with a short, crisp /ɪ/ as in 'kit', then move into the diphthong /aɪ/ as in 'eye' for the second syllable. The mouth closes slightly as you transition to /klaɪn/, with the /k/ released sharply, and finish with the nasal-free /n/. If audio reference helps, you can compare to the word 'in' + 'cline' to retain the two-syllable rhythm.”,
Common errors include softening the /ɪ/ to a schwa in the first syllable and misplacing the /n/ before the /klaɪn/ cluster, resulting in IN-klihn or IN-klen. Another mistake is pronouncing it like ‘indian’ or running the stress to the second syllable. To correct: keep /ɪ/ short and crisp, ensure /n/ immediately precedes /klaɪn/, and end with a clear /n/. Practice by isolating /ɪn/ and /klaɪn/ with a brief pause between to lock the boundary.
US/UK/AU share /ˈɪn.klaɪn/ with slight vowel quality differences. US vowels in stressed syllables are often more rearward and relaxed; UK tends to crisper consonants and slightly higher front /ɪ/ in careful speech; Australian typically has a flatter, more centralized vowel in some speakers while maintaining /klaɪn/. All variants keep rhoticity outside initial syllable contexts: the /r/ is not pronounced in these positions, but rhotics influence adjacent vowels in some US dialects when followed by an /r/ in other words.
The challenge lies in producing the short /ɪ/ followed quickly by the diphthong /aɪ/ and the consonant cluster /n.klaɪn/. The transition from /n/ to /k/ can blur in rapid speech, and non-native speakers may default to a long /ɪ/ or misplace the primary stress. Achieve precision by isolating the two syllables, practicing the boundary between /n/ and /k/, and using minimal pairs to calibrate the /ɪ/ to /aɪ/ glide.
No silent letters. Each letter contributes to the sound sequence: /ɪ/ (short i) + /n/ (alveolar nasal) + /k/ (velar plosive) + /l/ (alveolar lateral) + /aɪ/ (diphthong) + /n/ (final nasal). The non-obvious part is transitioning from the /n/ to the /k/ and then to /l/; keeping a clean boundary helps avoid a blurred middle. Pay attention to the /klaɪ/ cluster and ensure the /l/ isn’t swallowed.
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Incline comes from Middle English inclinen, from Old French incliner, from Latin inclinare, from in- ‘toward’ + clamare ‘to lean or bend’ (the root is often associated with bending and turning toward a direction). The noun form began to appear in English in the 15th century, originally conveying a physical leaning or slope. Over time, its usage broadened to include figurative senses like a propensity or tendency, as in “an incline toward failure” or “an incline toward charity.” Its semantic field expanded with technical terms in architecture, engineering, and geography to describe planes and gradients, while in economics or statistics it retains the sense of upward or favorable trend. The word’s core image—tilting or leaning—preserves its metaphorical applications across disciplines, from slopes and ramps to dispositions and trajectories. The verb form incline remains closely connected, sharing the same Latin roots, yet the noun has achieved a specialized but broad range of meanings in modern English. First known uses in exclusive texts surface in Middle English architecture and geography, describing constructed slopes or elevations, and later in a more abstract sense in reasoning and tendencies as scholarly discourse evolved. Today, incline is a compact, versatile term that maintains its tactile visual of tilt while expanding into metaphor and data-driven contexts alike.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Incline" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Incline" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Incline"
-ign sounds
-ine sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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