3 syllables: In, tes, tine. Stress on tes.
in-TES-tuhn
/ˌɪˈntɛstən/
Intestine is pronounced in-TES-tuhn (/ˌɪˈntɛstən/). It has three syllables (In-tes-tine), with the stress on "tes". Intestine is a long, coiled section of the digestive tract between the stomach and the colon, where most of the nutrient absorption occurs. In everyday use it refers to the internal organs collectively or, more precisely, to the tiny-tube sections within that perform digestion. The term is common in medical and anatomical contexts and appears in clinical and educational discussions.
nounIntestine is a long, coiled section of the digestive tract between the stomach and the colon, where most of the nutrient absorption occurs. In everyday use it refers to the internal organs collectively or, more precisely, to the tiny-tube sections within that perform digestion. The term is common in medical and anatomical contexts and appears in clinical and educational discussions.
"The surgeon explained how the intestines function after the operation."
"Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the intestines."
"He described the intestine as a series of specialized sections that absorb nutrients."
Phonetic: /ɪnˈtɛsˌtiːn/ (US) or /ɪnˈtɛstɪn/ (UK/AU). Primary stress on the second syllable: in-TES-tine. Start with a short /ɪ/ as in 'sit', then /tɛs/ with a crisp /t/ + /ɛ/ (like ‘bet’), and end with the unstressed /tɪn/ or /tiːn/ depending on accent. You’ll often hear the final ‘-tine’ pronounced with a long /iːn/ in US medical speech, but more clipped in UK/AU. Practice with careful air flow and a relaxed jaw to avoid adding extra vowel length in the last syllable.
Two frequent errors: (1) Stress on the first syllable (IN-tes-tine) and (2) dragging the final /tiːn/ into an /ɪn/ sound. Correct by placing primary stress on the middle syllable and ensuring /t/ is a crisp stop rather than a fricative, then finish with a clear /tiːn/ in US or /tɪn/ in UK/AU. Use a quick, controlled release for /t/ before the final vowel to avoid vowel shuddering. Listening to medical speakers can help you calibrate the rhythm.
US: /ɪnˈtɛsˌtiːn/ with a longer final vowel and slightly stronger final syllable; UK/AU: /ɪnˈtɛstɪn/ or /ɪnˈtɛstɪn/ with a shorter final vowel and less prominent secondary beat. Rhoticity is not a factor in this word; the main variation is the final vowel length and the t-to-n transition. In fast speech, the final syllable may reduce slightly, yielding /ɪnˈtɛstn̩/ in casual contexts. Always keep the middle syllable clear and avoid conflating it with ‘intestin’ (not a word in standard English).
The challenge lies in the two-tap-like sequence around the middle: /tɛs/ followed by /tiːn/ or /tɪn/. The pair of consonants after the stressed syllable can create a glided or elongated effect if not timed carefully. Another difficulty is maintaining a light, non-syllabic -t- onset transition into the final vowel without inserting extraneous vowels. Practicing the transition from /t/ to the following vowel with a crisp closure helps stabilize the rhythm.
While the word itself is two-accent, the natural intonation in English tends to fall slightly after the stressed syllable, with a small rise on the final syllable in questions or focus contexts. In medical or academic speech, you may maintain a steady, level tone across syllables to maintain clarity, avoiding pitch peaks on the middle syllable. Practicing with sentences like 'The intestine is part of the digestive system' helps embed the typical two-beat rhythm and a clean fall after the stressed syllable.
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US: maintain a rhotic, neutral American vowel quality; UK: slightly more clipped ends and shorter final vowel; AU: similar to UK but with a marginally wider mouth opening on vowels. Key differences: US often features a slightly longer final /iːn/, UK/AU may reduce to /ɪn/ or /tɪn/ depending on formality. Vowel quality: /ɪ/ in first syllable is lax; /ɛ/ in the stressed second syllable is open-mid; final vowel length varies by dialect. IPA: US /ɪnˈtɛsˌtiːn/, UK/AU /ɪnˈtɛstɪn/. Lip rounding is minimal; keep the jaw relaxed. Consonants: avoid voicing changes on /t/; maintain clear voiceless stop before the final vowel. Practice with slow-to-fast scales, then use 2–3 sentence contexts to embed natural pronunciation.
Intestine comes from the Latin intestinus, meaning ‘inner’ or ‘internal.’ The word appeared in English by the late Middle Ages, rooted in intestus, an adjective form related to entrenching something internal or within. Its first use in anatomical writing emerges in translations and medical texts of Galen-era science and Renaissance anatomy, where a distinction was drawn between the intestines and other digestive organs. Over centuries, the term broadened from a general reference to internal structures to the specific tubular sections that compose the small and large intestines. The modern sense focuses on the folded tube network involved in nutrient absorption and water reabsorption, distinguishing it from surrounding organs like the stomach or colon. As medical terminology standardized, intestines became a pluralized generic term for the digestive lumen, with “intestine” often used in singular sense when referring to a single loop or a general concept of the intestinal tract. This evolution reflects broader shifts from ancient anatomical models to precise, organism-wide descriptions in contemporary medicine. first known use in English literature appears in the 14th–15th centuries within theological and medical glossaries, followed by clearer clinical references in the 16th–18th centuries as anatomy matured as a discipline.
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Words that rhyme with "Intestine"
-ine sounds
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