3 syllables: In, dict, ment. Stress on dict.
in-DEYET-muhnt
/ˌɪˈndaɪtmənt/
Indictment is pronounced in-DEYET-muhnt (/ˌɪˈndaɪtmənt/). It has three syllables (In-dict-ment), with the stress on "dict". Indictment is a formal charge or accusation of a crime brought by a grand jury or other legal authority. It outlines the alleged offense and sets the legal process in motion. The term is used in legal contexts and carries a formal, procedural weight.
nounIndictment is a formal charge or accusation of a crime brought by a grand jury or other legal authority. It outlines the alleged offense and sets the legal process in motion. The term is used in legal contexts and carries a formal, procedural weight.
How to Pronounce Indictment
"The grand jury returned an indictment for fraud and embezzlement."
"After the indictment was announced, the defendant faced a lengthy courtroom process."
"Prosecutors filed an indictment that charged multiple counts of theft."
Pronounce it as in-DY-tment, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/. The syllables break as in- + dight- + ment, but note that the t is a soft link to the -ment; the /d/ is followed by a light /t/ release in many dialects. You’ll feel the jaw rise slightly for the /aɪ/ glide, with the tongue high in the front for /aɪ/ and a smooth release into /mənt/. Audio is: in-DY-tment.
Common errors: (1) stressing the wrong syllable (often past commentators say in-DICT-ment). (2) Pronouncing the /d/ as a hard /d/ with a strong /t/ boundary; instead, the /t/ is light before /m/, so it should be a quick blend. (3) Slurring the /ə/ in the final -ment, making it sound like -ment as one syllable. Correction: maintain secondary syllable stress (D Y) and use a brief, soft /t/ before /m/; end with a clear /ənt/ syllable, not a reduced /mnt/.
US/UK/AU share /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/, but rhoticity affects surrounding vowels: US is rhotic; UK and AU non-rhotic; thus post-vocalic r is not pronounced. Vowel quality in /aɪ/ may be slightly tenser in US; AU may have a broader diphthong, with /aɪ/ closer to [ɐɪ] in some speakers. The final -ment often reduces the schwa to a nearly unstressed /mənt/ in fast speech across all, but careful speakers keep the /ɪ/ in the second syllable audible. In all, the primary stress remains on the second syllable.
Key challenges: the root syllable -dai- produces a bold /aɪ/ diphthong, yet many speakers confuse it with /ɪ/ or /eɪ/. The consonant cluster between syllables can blur: /nˈdaɪtˌmənt/ requires a light /t/ release into /m/. Finally, the unstressed final -ment can be rapid and reduced. Work on a crisp /t/ release before /mənt/ and clear, not-elided -ment. Visualize the sequence: in + d-yte + ment, with a controlled stop at /t/.
Is the /d/ in the second syllable a true /d/ or a palatalized /d/? Answer: In standard English, it’s a light /d/ following /aɪ/, commonly realized as a alveolar stop with a quick release into /t/ before /mənt/. The sequence is typically /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/ with a subtle neighboring consonant liaison rather than a hard, heavy /d/.
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Indictment derives from the old French indictement, from des Indiquer ‘to indict, to accuse’ which itself comes from Latin indictare ‘to declare, point out, accuse’ (in- ‘in, upon’ + dictare ‘to proclaim, dictate’). The term entered English during the late Middle Ages as legal language to describe a formal accusation before a court. Its sense solidified in the 14th–15th centuries in criminal procedure: an act that formally brings a person to trial for a crime rather than a mere accusation. Over time, English developed a standardized legal term, maintaining a distinction between an indictment (a formal accusation) and related terms like information (a prosecutor’s charging document without grand jury) and arraignment (the court appearance to respond to charges). The word’s pronunciation and stress have remained relatively stable across periods, though legal usage has kept it as a precise, high-register term in courts and legal writing. First known use in English literature appears in legal records and texts from the 14th century onward, reflecting evolving procedural practices across medieval legal systems. Today, indictment is widely used in common law jurisdictions, with its core meaning unchanged but surrounded by expanding legal definitions and procedural nuances.
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Words that rhyme with "Indictment"
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