English spellings/Catalogs/I

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  


This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with I. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.

For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]


Î letter, me = eŷe sight = aŷe yes

Ìan person, cf. îron, silent r (the cricketer Ìan Bôtham—*Bôathəm—was wrongly pronounced by some as 'Iron Bottom')

îceberg one word

Îceland -lənd

Icelándic

îcon

idêa *îdêə, cf. monosyllables pêa, têa, where the a is not sounded separately

ídeogram

idêólogy - î or í

idiosýncrasy

îdle lazy = îdol god = AmE îdyll idyllic

Idomenèo

ídyll BrE; AmE îdyll = îdle = îdol

ígnorance

ignŏre

íleum intestine = ílium bone

illegálity

illícit illegal = elícit get

Íllinŏis *Íllinŏi

íll-thŏught-òut

illûsion, íl-, cf. allûsion, əl-

illûsive illusory = elûsive elude

ímage -íj

imaginâtion

imágíne

imbróglio *imbrólyo

immêdìately

imménse cf. eménd

ímmigrate cf. émigrate

ímpact noun, affect

impáct fix, wedge

impâle

impàla

ímpásse can be pronounced, French-style, *ámpásse

impêach

impéccable

impêrial

impéril

ímpetus

impŏrtance, impŏrtant

ímpotence, ímpotent

impresàrio - one hissing s

ímpress noun

impréss verb

imprimàtur

improprîety

ímprovîse

improvisâtion BrE -əvî-, AmE -óví-

ímpudent -yû-

impûte ascribe cf. ínput put in *ímpùt

ín abséntia

inadvërtent

inbetwêen can be two words

íncense smoke

incénse anger

ínches *ínchíz

inchôâte ínk-

íncident

incidéntal

incidéntally

incîsor

incrédible

incúmbent cf. encúmber

indepéndent cf. depéndent adjective, depéndant noun

ín-dépth adjective

Índian - can be spelt without a capital when referring to American indians

Indiána

índicês, plural of índex

indîct *indîte, cf. éxtradîte

indígenous

indispénsable

índustry

indústrial

inévitable

infállible

ínfamous cf. fâmous

infátuâtion

inflámmatory -mm-

ínfluence

influéntial

ín frònt of three words

ingênious, cf. gênius

ingénûous

Ingushétia *Ingushéttia: too rare to have palatalised to -shêesha

inhérent or inhêrent

inhérit

inítial *iníshəl

inítiative *iníshətíve

ínjure cf. endûre

ínland adjective

inlánd adverb

ínn pub = ín preposition

innovâtion

ínnovative

innuéndo

inóculate

ínpùt put in *ímpùt, cf. impûte ascribe

inquîre, inquîry or enquîre, enquîry; AmE ínquiry = enquiry

ínroads

insâtiable

insístent

ín sítu

insoûciance

ín spîte óf three words

inståll (some AmE: instål)

instålment BrE; AmE instållment

instéad one word

insůre insurance, verify = ensůre verify; BrE *inshåw, AmE *inshûr [1]

insürgent cf. sürge

intáct one word, cf. ín fáct (minimal pair)

intégral

íntegrate

intélligent

interáction

intercêde

intercéssor

interfêre

interfêrence

interlócutor

intërment burial cf. intërnment prison (minimal pair)

intërnal

internátional -áshnəl, cf. nâtion

internêcîne

ínternet (only the worldwide one can be capitalised: thê Ínternet)

intërpret

intërpreter

intervêne

intervéntion

ínterview

intestînal or intéstinal

íntimate adjective -ət

íntimâte verb

ínto *íntû or *íntə: one word - but ón to is still two

íntricacy

íntricate

íntrìgue noun *íntrêeg

intrìgue verb *ín-trêeg

introspéction

ínundâte

ín vâin

inválid valid

ínvalid ill

invèigle

invént

ínventory (minimal pair in British English: *ínvəntry, ínfantry)

in-yer-fâce

îón electron cf. îron metal, *îən, silent r

Iôna *Î-ôna

iôta *î-ôta

îPód ® showing a trend towards internal capitalisation ("camel case") also seen in EastÉnders

Irān *Í-rān, cf. îron metal, which has silent r

Irânian or Irànian: Hillary Clinton used both pronunciations in her speech after the 2009 Iranian election, but probably the former is more common in BrE, the latter in AmE

Irāq *Í-rāk

Irāqi -kì

irâte = Î râte

Îreland BrE *Îələnd, cf. îsland *îlənd

Irênê e.g. Irene Handl

Irêne e.g. Goodnight Irene silent final e

iridéscent *írridéssant

îron metal BrE *îyən, cf. îón electron, Ìan person, Iràn country

irónic

îrony *îrənỳ

irresístible

irréverent

irrévocable

írrigate cf. erádicate

Îsaac *Îzək

Ísabél, -z-, like Márian, has an o variant, Ísobél

îsland *îlənd, cf. Îreland

Íslám Íz- is probably the least affected pronunciation, though some say Íss- and/or -àm, and/or stress the second syllable

Islámic

Îslay *Îlə

îsle island *île = aîsle theatre

Îsle of Wîght *Île of Wîte

Íslington Íz-

îsobar -ss-, cf. Ísobél = Ísabél, -z-

Ísrâel *Ísreâl

Isrâeli ("Isrà-èli", common in the Arab world, is not an anglophone pronunciation)

íssue *íshû sounds less affected: *íssyû is a spelling pronunciation

Istanbùl or to please the Turks Istánbul cf. old spelling in Graham Greene’s novel title Stamboul Train

ísthmus

íts belonging to it = ít’s it is: ít’s for íts is probably the most common mistake of all, and an understandable one, as nouns in the genitive have 's: the dóg's tâil, but íts tâil. Compare the less notorious but similar whose of whom and who's who is, the latter similarly incorrectly used for the former

Îvan

Îvor

îvory

îvy plant = Îvy person