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 | |
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| 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—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-
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
Ínûít
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
Íqbal
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 of the hypercorrect spelling pronunciation *íssyû (do they remember to say *tíssyu for tíssue or *míssyon for míssion?)
Istanbùl is usual, cf. old spelling in the title of Graham Greene's novel Stámboul Trâin: Turks often say Istánbul in English
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