3 syllables: In, tro, duce. Stress on duce.
in-truh-DOOS
/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/
Introduce is pronounced in-truh-DOOS (/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/). It has three syllables (In-tro-duce), with the stress on "duce". Introduce is a verb meaning to present someone or something to others or to bring a topic into a conversation. It implies initiating familiarity or opening a discussion, often followed by an explanatory or participatory action. The term encompasses both initiating social contact and presenting information or ideas to an audience.
verbIntroduce is a verb meaning to present someone or something to others or to bring a topic into a conversation. It implies initiating familiarity or opening a discussion, often followed by an explanatory or participatory action. The term encompasses both initiating social contact and presenting information or ideas to an audience.
- You’ll often misplace stress, pronouncing it as in-TRU-djus or in-trə-DYUS. Practice by clapping the syllables and marking the stressed beat on the third syllable. - The /djuː/ blend can blur into /duː/ or /juː/, so focus on the /d/ release followed quickly by /j/ then /uː/. Use slow repetition to stabilize the transition. - Final /s/ should be a crisp, voiceless /s/; don’t let it vanish in fluent speech. End with a small, steady hiss.
How to Pronounce Introduce
"She will introduce her guest speaker to the audience after the break."
"Before we begin the workshop, I’d like to introduce you to your team members."
"The host introduced the new policy at the meeting."
Pronounce as in-TRAH-toos in US; for accuracy, the stressed syllable is the penultimate syllable, yielding /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ (US/UK: /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/). The first /ɪ/ is a short, lax vowel; /n/ is alveolar; /trə/ is a reduced syllable with a schwa-like /ə/; the final /djuːs/ blends /d/ + /juː/ + /s/. In careful speech you’ll hear /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/, with the /juː/ as a palatal glide. Audio reference: compare with native-speaker clips on Pronounce and Forvo to hear the /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ pattern.
Common errors: (1) Stress shift placing stress on the second syllable: /ˌɪnˈtrə.djuːs/ instead of /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/; (2) Reducing /juː/ to a hard /u/ or /ju/ mis-smoothing the /dju/ cluster; (3) Pronouncing the /t/ as a dental or heavy stop in rapid speech. Corrections: keep stress on the third syllable; ensure /djuː/ is a blended /d/ + /juː/ with the tongue gliding into /uː/; practice slow-to-fast sequences to stabilize the /trə/ reduction and final /s/ clarity.
US uses /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ with a rhotic /r/? Actually /ɪn/ initial; the /r/ is not before the following syllable; the /djuː/ is produced with a palatal approximant glide. UK tends to /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ with similar, but the /juː/ vowel may be realized with a slightly shorter duration and less lip rounding; AU often shows less fronting, with vowel quality closer to /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ but with subtle vowel shifts towards /ə/ in /trə/ and a non-rhotic realization. In all, the key differences are vowel length, r-coloring, and the exact duration of the /juː/ glide.
Difficulties center on the multi-syllabic stress pattern and the /djuː/ cluster, which requires a smooth transition between /d/ and /juː/ without an abrupt pause. The schwa-like second syllable creates a weak beat, so maintaining correct stress on the third syllable is essential. Additionally, rapid speech can blur the /t/ and /d/ boundary, causing a blend that sounds like /in-truh-jus/ instead of /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/. Practicing slow articulation helps stabilize the sequence.
A distinctive feature is the /djuː/ sequence, where the consonant /d/ immediately blends with a palatal glide /j/ to form /djuː/. This is followed by the long /uː/ vowel, making the segment mouth-position notably tight and forward for many speakers. Practically, you should think of it as a rapid transition: /d/ + /j/ + /uː/. Recording yourself greeting or introducing helps you hear the tight timing and ensure the glide doesn’t trip into a separate syllable.
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- US: Pronounce /ˌɪn.trəˈdjuːs/ with a clear /ɪ/ in the first syllable, a neutral /ə/ in the second, and a bright /uː/ in the final, keeping the /r/ non-rhotic as in most dialects. The /juː/ is a true glide, not a vowel-only syllable. - UK: Similar skeleton, but you may hear a slightly shorter /ə/ and more clipped /djuː/; keep arching the tongue upward for the /j/ while maintaining lip rounding for /uː/. - AU: Often a longer, more open vowel in /ə/ and /uː/ with less multilingual vowel reduction; the glide remains present but with a slightly flatter prosody. Use IPA references to guide mouth positions and listen to natives for fine-tuning.
Introduce comes from Latin introducere, formed from in- ‘into’ + includere ‘to enclose, include, shut up, confine,’ ultimately from Latin ducere ‘to lead.’ The sense evolved from ‘to lead into’ to ‘to bring into acquaintance or novelty,’ especially in social and academic contexts. The noun introduction appears in English by the 14th century, while the verb sense of presenting or bringing forward developed through the late Middle English period, adopting modern usage in public speaking and education. The term gained formal usage in formal introductions, ceremonies, and debates, reflecting its core notion of initiating contact or presenting something new to an audience.
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Words that rhyme with "Introduce"
-uce sounds
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