3 syllables: in, tru, der. Stress on tru.
in-TROO-dur
/ˌɪnˈtɹudɚ/
intruder is pronounced in-TROO-dur (/ˌɪnˈtɹudɚ/). It has three syllables (in-tru-der), with the stress on "tru". Intruder refers to someone who enters a place without permission, typically evoking a sense of threat or violation. In everyday use, it can mean an unwelcome visitor or an infiltrator breaking into a space or group. The word carries a neutral root sense of intrusion but is commonly charged with tension in security or suspense contexts.
Intruder refers to someone who enters a place without permission, typically evoking a sense of threat or violation. In everyday use, it can mean an unwelcome visitor or an infiltrator breaking into a space or group. The word carries a neutral root sense of intrusion but is commonly charged with tension in security or suspense contexts.
- You may mispronounce the /uː/ as a short /u/ (as in 'put'), which shortens the middle syllable and makes the word sound off. Practice by elongating the /uː/ through a held vowel before the /d/ and ensure the /tr/ is a tight consonant cluster rather than a quick, collapsed sound. - Final unstressed syllable often loses its schwa; make sure the ending is /ər/ or /ə/ clearly, not mumbled. Work on a light, relaxed tongue position for this ending. - The /n/ and /t/ sequence can fuse if you drop the /t/ release; maintain an audible /t/ between /n/ and /r/ to preserve the rhythm.
"The security alarm sounded when the intruder crossed the lobby at midnight."
"During the late hours, an intruder triggered the motion sensors in the warehouse."
"She felt like an intruder in the private meeting and discreetly left the room."
Pronounce as IN-tru-der with primary stress on IN. In IPA for US: ˈɪnˌtruːdər; in UK: ˈɪnˌtruː.dər. Start with a clear /ɪ/ as in sit, then a light /n/ followed by a stressed /truː/ where the /uː/ is a long vowel, and end with a schwa or /ər/ depending on accent. Aim for a smooth, two-syllable + one weak ending rhythm. Audio references: you can match this pattern in dictionaries with speakers saying ˈɪnˌtruː.dər.
Common errors: misplacing the primary stress on the second syllable (in-TROO-der) makes it sound like a different word; truncating the long /uː/ to a short /u/; and deleting the final schwa, yielding IN-trud or IN-trudr. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable, lengthen the /uː/ in the second syllable, and finish with a clear /ər/ (or /ɚ/ in rhotic accents). Practice with minimal pairs: IN-truː-der vs IN-trud-er.
US: strong rhoticity, final /r/ is pronounced; /ˈɪnˌtruː.dər/. UK: non-rhotic or variable r, final /ə/ more centralized; /ˈɪnˌtruː.də/ or /ˈɪnˌtruːdə/. Australia: often non-rhotic but can have linking r in some speakers; /ˈɪnˌtruː.də/ with a clearer /ɜː/ in some regions. Key differences are the rhoticity of the final syllable and vowel quality in /ə/ vs /ər/ endings. Use IPA references for standard models.
The difficulty centers on the long /uː/ in the second syllable paired with the cluster /tr/ between vowels, plus the final unstressed schwa that can reduce to a near-backness vowel. Learners often default to a short /u/ or stress the second syllable. Achieve accuracy by maintaining the long /uː/ before the /d/ and ensuring the /r/ or /ə/ ending is clear in rhotic speakers or softened in non-rhotic speakers. IPA landmarks help anchor mouth positions.
Is the 'intrude' part of intruder pronounced as 'in-trude' rather than 'in-tra-dor'? Answer: It follows the same stem, with /ˈɪnˌtruː.də/ (UK) or /ˈɪnˌtruː.dɚ/ (US) where the ending is a reduced vowel or rhotic approximant depending on accent; emphasis remains on the first syllable, and the middle /truː/ is a single unit. The question zooms in on the stem and the ending syllable.
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US: emphasize rhotic /r/ ending and maintain a clear /d/ before final /ɚ/ or /ər/. UK: non-rhotic or weaker /r/, ensure /d/ link with a schwa-like end; AU: variable rhoticity, often closer to US with a longer /uː/ and a softer ending. Vowel detail: /ɪ/ in the first syllable is short and clipped; /ˈtruː/ has a long /uː/. Consonant: /n/ and /t/ form a crisp transition; keep /t/ released rather than tapped.
Intruder comes from the Latin intrudere, meaning to thrust in or push into. The root intrud- derives from the combination of in- (into) and trudere (to thrust or push). The word entered English via Old French intruser or intruder in the sense of someone who enters by force. By the 15th century, intruder was used to describe a person who breaches boundaries, especially in lawless or defensive contexts, then widening to any unauthorized entrant. Over time, intruder acquired connotations of threat in security, criminality, or social boundaries, while retaining its general sense of illegal or uninvited entry. In modern usage, intruder can describe computer network breaches as well as physical trespass, reflecting its core idea of unauthorized ingress. The word sits at the intersection of invasion and boundary violation, with usage expanding alongside concerns about safety and privacy in both physical and digital spaces.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "intruder" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "intruder" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "intruder"
-ure sounds
-der sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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