2 syllables: in, stincts. Stress on in.
IN-stingkts
/ˈɪnstɪŋkts/
instincts is pronounced IN-stingkts (/ˈɪnstɪŋkts/). It has two syllables (in-stincts), with the stress on "in". Instincts are natural, inherent patterns of behavior or thought guiding actions without conscious reasoning. They arise from evolved neural mechanisms and repeated experiences, shaping quick, automatic responses to familiar situations. In ordinary use, “instincts” refers to plural innate drives that influence judgments and reactions more than learned behavior.
Instincts are natural, inherent patterns of behavior or thought guiding actions without conscious reasoning. They arise from evolved neural mechanisms and repeated experiences, shaping quick, automatic responses to familiar situations. In ordinary use, “instincts” refers to plural innate drives that influence judgments and reactions more than learned behavior.
"Her instincts told her to back away from the edge."
"Soldiers rely on instincts sharpened by experience during combat."
"Parents often trust their maternal instincts in difficult moments."
Say IN-sting-kts with stress on the first syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈɪn.stɪŋkts/. The sequence is a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, a clear /st/ cluster after the syllable break, then /ɪŋk/ followed by /t/ and /s/. Ensure the final consonant cluster /kts/ is crisp by releasing /k/ before a quick /ts/ release. Practice by chunking: IN-sting-kts, then say it fluidly in connected speech.
Common errors involve the /st/ and /t/ transitions: either delaying the /t/ leading to /ɪɪŋkts/ or turning /kt/ into /k/ or /t/ too early, producing IN-ɪŋ-ɪkts. Another frequent issue is not clearly releasing the /t/ before the final /s/ (slurring to /ɪŋkts/). Corrective focus: keep /st/ as a single blend, release /k/ and then a crisp /ts/ to land the final s. Practice with slow, deliberate articulation, then speed up.
All three accents share /ˈɪn.stɪŋkts/ but vowel quality varies slightly. US: slightly tenser /ɪ/ in the first syllable, with a quicker /st/ blend. UK: often a slightly shorter /ɪ/ and a crisper /t/ release; AU tends toward a flatter /ɪ/ vowel and may reduce vowel length in unstressed syllables, keeping the /kst/ cohesion. In all, the final /ts/ remains a crisp affricate.
Difficulties center on the consonant cluster /stɪŋkts/: navigating the /st/ blend, the velar stop /k/ immediately before the final s, and maintaining a quick /t/ release before /s/. The challenge is timing: you want the /t/ to release quickly without turning into a hiss or swallowing the /k/. Working on the sequence IN-STING-TS helps you synchronize tongue tip contact with alveolar and velar gestures.
A distinctive feature is the tight transition from the nasal /ŋ/ to the velar /k/ followed by a voiceless /ts/ suffix. This requires precise back-to-front tongue movement: sustain the nasal /ŋ/ with a relaxed jaw, then shift quickly to raise the back of the tongue for /k/ and release into /ts/. Keeping the alveolar /t/ and /s/ sequences clean avoids slurred or merged sounds.
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Instincts derives from the Latin instinctus, from instinguere meaning to incite or urge on, itself from in- (into) + stinguere (to stifle, quench). The term entered English in the 15th century via Old French instinct, originally tied to a mental or natural urge. Early usage referenced forces within living beings guiding actions independent of reason. By the 16th–18th centuries, the sense broadened to include natural faculties and impulses of animals, then humans, with a growing emphasis on innate, automatic drives rather than learned responses. In psychology, “instinct” became a technical term for inherited patterns of behavior (e.g., fight-or-flight, maternal care). The plural form instincts appeared to discuss multiple, often competing drives. In contemporary usage, “instincts” frequently describes quick judgments or gut feelings that operate beneath deliberate thought, as well as the basic, non-learned tendencies observed across species. First known uses appear in pharmacologist and naturalist writings of the 1600s and philosophical discussions in the 18th and 19th centuries, with modern scientific discussions centering on neurobiological bases inferred from ethology and cognitive science.
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Words that rhyme with "instincts"
-nts sounds
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