How to pronounce ingenuous
Say it like in-JEN-yoo-us. Ingenuous has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEN).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce ingenuous. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- in
- JEN
- yoo
- us
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ingenuous pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- inKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- JENSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- yooKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
- usKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of ingenuous
American and British speakers say ingenuous in essentially the same way: /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuəs/ in the US and /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuːəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: in-JEN-yoo-us.
What does ingenuous mean?
- Naive and trusting.
- Demonstrating childlike simplicity.
- Unsophisticated; clumsy or obvious.
Where does ingenuous come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin ingenuus (“of noble character, frank”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with ingenuous
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ingenuous.
Questions about saying ingenuous
How do you pronounce ingenuous?
Say in-JEN-yoo-us. The American pronunciation is /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuəs/. In British English it is /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuːəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ingenuous?
Ingenuous has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEN). Broken into parts: in · JEN · yoo · us.
Do Americans and Brits say ingenuous the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuəs/ and the British form is /ɪnˈdʒɛnjuːəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.