How to pronounce ingenious
Say it like in-JEE-nyus. Ingenious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEE).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce ingenious. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- in
- JEE
- nyus
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ingenious pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- inGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- JEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- nyusKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of ingenious
American and British speakers say ingenious in essentially the same way: /ˌɪnˈdʒinjəs/ in the US and /ɪnˈdʒiːnjəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: in-JEE-nyus.
What does ingenious mean?
- Of a person, displaying genius, ingenuity or brilliance; inventive.“This fellow is ingenious; he fixed a problem I didn’t even know I had.”
- Of a thing, characterized by genius; cleverly contrived or done.“That is an ingenious model of the atom.”
- Showing originality or sagacity; characterized by ingenuity; witty.“He sent me an ingenious reply to an email.”
Where does ingenious come from?
Borrowed from Middle French ingénieux, from Old French engenious, from Latin ingeniōsus (“endowed with good natural capacity, gifted with genius”), from ingenium (“innate or natural quality, natural capacity, genius”), from in- (“in”) + gig
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with ingenious
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ingenious.
Questions about saying ingenious
How do you pronounce ingenious?
Say in-JEE-nyus. The American pronunciation is /ˌɪnˈdʒinjəs/. In British English it is /ɪnˈdʒiːnjəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ingenious?
Ingenious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEE). Broken into parts: in · JEE · nyus.
Do Americans and Brits say ingenious the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˌɪnˈdʒinjəs/ and the British form is /ɪnˈdʒiːnjəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.