2 syllables: in, tense. Stress on tense.
in-TENS
/ˌɪˈntɛns/
intense is pronounced in-TENS (/ˌɪˈntɛns/). It has two syllables (in-tense), with the stress on "tense". Intense describes a high degree of force, emotion, or activity; something strong, extreme, or deeply felt. It conveys a sense of seriousness or urgency and often accompanies heightened focus or energy. In use, it modifies nouns to emphasize strong qualitative intensity or degree.
Intense describes a high degree of force, emotion, or activity; something strong, extreme, or deeply felt. It conveys a sense of seriousness or urgency and often accompanies heightened focus or energy. In use, it modifies nouns to emphasize strong qualitative intensity or degree.
"The debate became intense as both sides presented their strongest arguments."
"She felt an intense pressure to perform well in the final exam."
"The heat was intense, making it hard to work outside for long."
Pronounce as inˈtens with a short i. IPA: US/UK/AU /ɪnˈtɛns/. The first syllable is unstressed: /ɪn/. The stress falls on the second syllable: /ˈtɛns/. Finish with a clear voiceless /s/. Mouth: start with a small opening for /ɪ/ in the initial syllable, then raise the tongue blade for /t/ + /ɛ/ (as in ‘bed’), and end with a crisp /ns/ cluster; keep the /t/ light and the /n/ alveolar. Audio reference: you’ll hear natural, clipped /t/ followed by /ɛn/ before final /s/.
Common errors: (1) placing primary stress on the first syllable (in- tense) instead of the second (in-TENSE); (2) mispronouncing the /ɛ/ as /eɪ/ or a lax /ɪ/ in American casual speech, which softens the vowel; (3) blending the final /ns/ into /nz/ in rapid speech or dropping the final /s/. Correction: emphasize the /ɛ/ as a short, open-mid vowel, keep /t/ plosive but light, and articulate the final /ns/ clearly with a crisp /s/ for contrast. Slow practice with a mirror helps ensure the lips, tongue, and jaw positions align.
US/UK/AU share /ɪnˈtɛns/ for standard pronunciation; differences are subtle. US tends to reduce the /ɪ/ slightly and quicken the /t/ release, with short vowel clarity. UK maintains a crisp /t/ and sharper /ɛ/ in many accents; vowel length can be shorter in fast speech. Australian tends to clip vowels with a very fast /ɪn/ and a more centralized vowel quality in /ɛ/; rhoticity is typically non-rhotic in broader speech, though some speakers show mild rhoticization in careful speech. In all accents, the primary stress remains on the second syllable. IPA remains /ɪnˈtɛns/ in typical dialects.
Two main challenges: (1) the vowel in the first syllable /ɪ/ is short and easily reduced in fast speech, risking a schwa-like sound; (2) the /t/ followed by /ɛ/ creates a rapid transition that can blur into /tɛn/ or /tens/ for beginners. The final /ns/ cluster requires precise tongue tip contact and sibilant release; in casual speech, some speakers insert a linking /ɪ/ or vowel shwa. Focusing on stopping the /t/ briefly and crisply finishing with /ns/ helps clarity.
Yes. The base 'tense' commonly carries a bright, tense vowel in the second syllable; the / ɛ / in /tɛns/ is a mid-front vowel that sounds crisp. You should avoid a lax /e/ or a prolonged diphthong. The 'i' in the first syllable remains short and lax; the combination creates a compact, brisk two-syllable word. Emphasize the contrast between unstressed /ɪn/ and stressed /tɛns/ to preserve natural rhythm.
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- US: keep a slightly sharper /æ/? Actually intense has /ɛ/ not /æ/. Focus on crisp /t/ release and non-rhoticity. IPA /ɪnˈtɛns/. - UK: maintain a clearer terminal /t/ before /s/, with a slightly longer vowel in /ɪn/ due to careful enunciation. - AU: tend toward a tighter, quicker transition, with a more centralized vowel in /ɛ/ and a very clipped /t/; ensure non-rhoticity in broad speech. Tips: slow to fast progression; practice the sequence /ɪn/ + /ˈtɛns/ with controlled breath, keep jaw relaxed, lips neutral, tongue contact for /t/ and /n/ precise; record yourself and compare to native audio.
Intense comes from the Latin intensus, past participle of intendere, from in- ‘toward’ and tendere ‘to stretch, strive.’ The form intensus appeared in Late Latin to describe things drawn tight or concentrated in force. In English, intense surfaced in the 16th century with the sense of ‘stretched to the utmost, strained,’ then broadened to describe strong feelings, actions, or appearances. The word migrated into science and psychology to denote high degrees of intensity (intense heat, intense emotion). By the 19th and 20th centuries, intense matured into a common adjective in general discourse, retaining its core sense of extreme degree, while also serving as a qualitative intensifier (e.g., intense interest, intense experience). Its semantics often collocate with nouns indicating energy, emotion, or activity, reinforcing the pole of extremity. Historical usage shows a shift from physical rigidity or tightness to figurative emphasis, paralleling broader linguistic trends toward metaphorical extension of physical states into experiential descriptors.
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Words that rhyme with "intense"
-nse sounds
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