2 syllables: in, close. Stress on close.
/ɪnˈkloʊz/
Say it backInclose is a verb meaning to surround, enclose, or confine something within boundaries or a container. It can also be used in a more formal sense to include or enclose something in and as part of a communication. The term often appears in legal, archival, or antiquated contexts, and it may be spelled inclose or enclose depending on regional usage.
- You may pronounce it as in-CLAWS or in-CLOZE; specifically avoid turning the second syllable into a hard /aʊ/ or /aʊz/ and keep the long diphthong /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ before the final /z/. - Misplacing /n/ and /k/; ensure there is a distinct /n/ boundary before the /k/ and do not blend to /ŋ/ or /ŋk/. - Final consonant voicing: many learners end with a de-voicing to /s/; practice voicing the final /z/ clearly. - US vs UK: US often has a clearer /oʊ/; UK/AU may be /əʊ/, which is subtler and can cause an off-lip rounding error if you shift to an /ɒ/ sound.
"Please inclose a copy of the contract with the package."
"The hedged garden is inclose by a stone wall."
"I will inclose a map within the letter for reference."
Pronounce it as in-ˈklōz in US and UK English, with the second syllable stressed. IPA: US /ɪnˈkloʊz/, UK /ɪnˈkləʊz/, AU /ɪnˈkləʊz/. Start with a short, lax “i” as in in, then a strong /k/ onset for the second syllable, followed by the long /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ and final /z/. Avoid turning it into in-CLAWZ or IN-cloz; keep the vowel quality precise: /oʊ/ or /əʊ/.
Common errors include misplacing stress (tying it to the first syllable as in in-CLOSE), mispronouncing the vowel as a short /o/ (in-CLuse), and altering the final /z/ to /s/. Correct by emphasizing the second syllable and ensuring a clear /oʊ/ (US) or /əʊ/ (UK/AU) before the final /z/. Practice by briefly isolating /ˈkloʊz/ and then attaching with the initial /ɪn/.
US tends to have a clear /oʊ/ diphthong in the stressed syllable and non-rhotic or rhotic environments influence the preceding consonants; UK and AU typically realize /əʊ/ or /əʊ/ with slightly less rhoticity, and final /z/ remains voiced. The main contrast is the vowel quality: US /ˈkloʊz/, UK/AU /ˈkləʊz/. The initial /ɪn/ is relatively unstressed and quick in most speakers.
Difficulties stem from the diphthong in the stressed syllable (/oʊ/ vs /əʊ/), and from maintaining a clean transition from the /n/ to the /k/ onset without neutralizing the /k/ into a light /g/ or losing the voicing in the final /z/. The subtle difference between American /ɪnˈkoʊz/ and British/Australian /ɪnˈkləʊz/ demands precise tongue height and jaw positioning to sustain the diphthong and final voiced fricative.
A unique aspect is the relatively precise articulation of the initial /ɪn/ cluster when followed by /kl/—the tongue must be high for the /k/ and then quickly lower to form /l/ and the subsequent /ə/ or /oʊ/. It’s easy to merge the /n/ with /k/ (nkl-), so focus on a clean stop plus clear onset for /kl/ and maintain the secondary stress on the second syllable.
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- US: keep the /ɪn/ light and quick, then emphasize /ˈkoʊz/ with a rounded lips for /oʊ/. Maintain a stronger demarcation between /n/ and /k/. - UK: often realizes /ˈkləʊz/ with a shorter /əʊ/ and less rhotics; keep the jaw slightly lowered for /ə/ then glide to /ʊ/? Actually for /əʊ/ it's /əʊ/. Ensure you don’t turn the /l/ into a darkened /l/ without light L. - AU: tends toward similar to UK but may have a slightly more rounded lip posture; ensure the final /z/ remains voiced and not devoiced in rapid speech.
Inclose originates from Middle English inclose, a back-formation of enclosure, from Old French enclos (enclore) meaning ‘to shut in, confine, surround,’ from en- ‘in’ + clore ‘to shut,’ related to Latin cluere ‘to close.’ The spelling shift between inclose and enclose reflects historical variation in whether the prefix “in-” was treated as a separate preposition meaning inside or as a part of the verb root meaning to close in. Early attestations appear in legal and ceremonial language in the 14th–15th centuries, evolving in common usage to denote enclosing physical objects or letters. In modern English, enclose has become the preferred form in most varieties for the action of surrounding, while inclose persists in certain legal or formal phrases and in some regional or archaic texts. First known use records the sense of surrounding or confining within a boundary, with documentary evidence in charters and legal writs from the late medieval period, and later expanding to metaphorical uses such as enclosing attachments and documents in correspondence.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "inclose" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "inclose"
-ose sounds
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