4 syllables: In, tel, li, gence. Stress on tel.
in-TEL-uh-juhns
/ˌɪˈntɛlədʒəns/
Intelligence is pronounced in-TEL-uh-juhns (/ˌɪˈntɛlədʒəns/). It has four syllables (In-tel-li-gence), with the stress on "tel". Intelligence refers to the capacity to learn, reason, understand complex ideas, and adapt to new situations. It encompasses problem-solving abilities, memory, and the application of knowledge. In everyday use, it can describe a person’s cognitive capabilities or the sophistication of a system or artifact.
nounIntelligence refers to the capacity to learn, reason, understand complex ideas, and adapt to new situations. It encompasses problem-solving abilities, memory, and the application of knowledge. In everyday use, it can describe a person’s cognitive capabilities or the sophistication of a system or artifact.
How to Pronounce Intelligence
"Her intelligence in mathematics impressed her professors."
"The intelligence agency gathered data from multiple sources to inform its decisions."
"Artificial intelligence systems can learn from vast datasets."
Pronunciation: in-TEL-li-jence. IPA: US /ˌɪn.təˈlɛdʒəns/ or /ˌɪn.təˈlɛdʒəns/, UK /ˌɪn.təˈle.dʒəns/; AU follows similar UK patterns. The primary stress is on the third syllable: -TEL- in US/UK, with secondary stress on the first syllable depending on rhythm. Break it as: /ˌɪn.təˈlɛdʒəns/. Mouth positions: start with a short front vowel /ɪ/ then a schwa-like /tə/; the /l/ is light, /dʒ/ as in “judge,” and final /əns/ with a reduced vowel and nasal + /s/. Audio reference: you can hear it pronounced as “in-tuh-LEJ-uhns” in many pronunciation dictionaries and video tutorials.
Common errors include: 1) Misplacing stress, saying in-TEL-uh-jen-ss instead of the correct -TEL- in the middle; 2) Substituting /dʒ/ with /ʒ/ or /tʃ/ in the /dʒə/ syllable; 3) Dropping the second syllable vowel or flattening the /ə/ in /tə/; 4) Over-elongating the ending /ən(t)s/ leading to /ənˈtiːlɪdʒəns/. Correction tips: practice the diphthong in the second syllable, keep /tə/ light, and clearly articulate /dʒ/ before /əns/.
US tends to stress the second syllable slightly more and may reduce the final /əns/ to /əns/ with a softer /l/ cluster; UK typically keeps a crisp /ˈlɛdʒ/ and a slightly rounded /ɪ/ in the first syllable; AU follows a non-rhotic pattern similar to UK, with a longer /ɪ/ in the first syllable and clear /dʒ/ before /əns/. Overall, rhoticity is less pronounced in UK/AU; vowel quality in the middle syllable shifts subtly (short /e/ vs schwa).
Key challenges are the multisyllabic rhythm and the /dʒ/ cluster before the final /əns/. The middle -l e- sequence can blur, making /l/ and /dʒ/ sound slurred if you don’t segment. The /ə/ (schwa) should remain light and quick, not absorbed into adjacent consonants. Maintaining definite stress on the third syllable while keeping a crisp /dʒ/ is essential for natural-sounding speech.
A unique feature is the tertiary stress placement pattern in fast speech: many speakers carry an initial weak syllable and place primary stress on -TEL-. Pay attention to the /t/ release before /ə/ and the /l/ that links to /ɛ/ in /lɛd/. In careful speech, you may hear a clear /ˌɪn.təˈlɛdʒəns/, whereas in connected speech it can reduce to /ˌɪn.təˈlɛdʒns/ with a lighter /ə/ before /n/.
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Intelligence comes from Middle English intelligença, borrowed from Old French intelligence, derived from Latin intelligentia, itself from intellegere, meaning 'to understand' or 'to discern'. The root intel- stems from Latin intellegere, composed of inter- 'between, among' and legere 'to read, choose'. The term originally related to the faculty of understanding or discernment. In medieval scholastic usage, intelligence referred to the capacity for comprehension in animals and humans, later expanding to human cognitive abilities broadly. By the 19th century, it also entered philosophical and psychological vocabulary to denote the faculty of acquiring knowledge, reason, and logical problem-solving. In contemporary usage, intelligence often spans both natural human cognition and artificial systems, including data analysis, pattern recognition, and learning algorithms. First known English usage dates to the 14th century, with increasing precision in the 18th and 19th centuries as psychology and cognitive science formalized the concept of intelligence as a measurable set of mental abilities rather than a single trait.
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Words that rhyme with "Intelligence"
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