English spellings/Catalogs/I

	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]

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Î letter, me = eŷe sight = aŷe yes

Ìan person, cf. îron, silent r (the cricketer Ìan Bôtham—first syllable as bôth—was pronounced by some as "Îron Bóttom")

Ibìza *Í-bêetha; some say *Eŷe-Bêetha, a combination of anglicised long vowel and, with the -th- for zh, hypercorrect Castilian Spanish (as opposed to Ibiza's Catalan dialect)

îceberg one word

Îceland -lənd

Icelándic

îcon

Îdaho

idêa *îdêə, cf. monosyllables pêa, têa, where the a is not sounded separately, = names of the letters P and T

idêal

ídeogram

idêólogy - î or í

ídiom

idiosýncrasy

ídiot

îdle lazy = îdol god = AmE îdyll idyllic

Idomenèo

ídyll BrE; AmE îdyll = îdle = îdol

î.ê.

ignîte

ignítion

ígnorance

ignŏre

IKÊA Î-

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

impássioned -shənd

impêach

impéccable

impêrial

impéril

ímpetus makes a minimal pair with ímpotence

ímpìous, cf. pîous

ímplement noun, ímplemént verb

impŏrtance, impŏrtant

impóster, AmE also impóstor

ímpotence, ímpotent

impresàrio - one hissing s

ímpress noun

impréss verb

imprimàtur, imprímatur, imprimâtur

improprîety

ímprovîse

improvisâtion BrE -əvî-, AmE -óví-

ímpudent -yû-

impûte ascribe, cf. ínput put in *ímpùt

ín abséntia

ináccuracy

ináccurate

inadvërtent

inbetwêen can be two words

íncense smoke

incénse anger

ínches *ínchíz

inchôâte ínk-

íncident

incidéntal

incidéntally *incidéntly

incîsor

incîte provoke = in sîght looming, cf ínsight discernment

incógnito, incognìto, one word

íncòme or *ínkum

incrédible

incúmbent, cf. encúmber: minimal pair in non-rhotic pronunciations, like the standard British English of England

indepéndent, cf. depéndent adjective, depéndant noun

indepéndents = indepéndence

ín-dépth adjective

índex

índexes list, cf. índices mathematics

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

Indiána

índicate

indícative

índicês, alternative plural of índex

indîct *indîte, cf. éxtradîte

indígenous

Indìra Gándhi *Gándy

indispénsable

índustry

indústrial

inévitable

ín fáct two words

infállible

ínfamous, cf. fâmous

infatuâtion

infërnal

infinitésimal

inflámmatory

ínfluence

influéntial

ín frònt of three words

ingênious, cf. gênius

ingénûous

ingrêdient

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

inhérent or inhêrent

inhérit

inítial *iníshəl

inítiative *iníshətíve

ínjure, cf. endûre

ínland adjective

inlánd adverb

ínline text, cf. ín líne wíth

ínn pub = ín preposition

innovâtion

ínnovative

innuéndo

inóculate

ínpùt put in *ímpùt, cf. impûte ascribe

ínquest

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

ínroads

insâtiable

ínsight *ínsîte expertise, cf. in sîght visible = incîte provoke

insístent

ín sítu

insofàr ás

insómnia

insoûciance

ín spîte óf three words

inståll (some AmE: instål)

instålled

instålment BrE; AmE instållment

instéad one word

ínsúlt noun, insúlt verb

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

insürgent, cf. sürge

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

ínteger -j-

intégral

íntegrate

intélligent

inténtion intent, rhyming with ténsion tense

intër bury, cf. ínter- prefix

interáction

intercêde

intercéssor

interfêre

interfêrence

intêrior

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

interval

intervêne

intervéntion

ínterview

intestînal or intéstinal

intifàda

íntimate adjective -ət

íntimâte verb

ínto *íntû, weak form *íntə

íntricacy

íntricate

íntrìgue noun *íntrêeg

intrìgue verb *ín-trêeg

introspéction

íntrovërt

ínundâte

ín vâin

inválid valid

ínvalid ill

invèigle

invént

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

Invernéss-shire (-shîre, -shêer, -shə; hyphen to avoid "sss")

in-yer-fâce

îodìne BrE; AmE îodîne

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

Iôna *Î-ôna

iôta *î-ôta

Îowa

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

Irān *Í-rāhn (some AmE has the deprecated pronunciation Î rán), cf. îron metal, which has silent r

Irânian; some AmE: Irànian

Irāq *Í-rāhk (some AmE has the deprecated pronunciation Î ráck)

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

Íroquois -kwoi or -kwà

irresístible

irréverent

irrévocable

írrigate, cf. erádicate

Îsaac *Îzək

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

Isaîah *Î-zîə

Îsís

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

Îsley Brothers Îz-

Íslington Íz-

îsobar -ss-, cf. Ísobél = Ísabél, -z-

Ísrâel (not -eâ-) *Ízrâle, *Ízrul in rapid AmE

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

íssue *íshû is normal but is spurned by fans (politicians, BBC persons) of the hypercorrect spelling pronunciation *íssyû (one doesn't much hear them remembering to say *tíssyu for tíssue)

Istanbùl (cf. old spelling in the title of Graham Greene's novel Stámboul Trâin: some Turks speaking English say Istánbul)

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