How to pronounce intense in American English

IPA /ənˈtɛns/ Syllables 2 · uhn·tehns Stress 2nd syllable

uhn·TEHNS

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Americans pronounce intense as uhn-TEHNS (/ənˈtɛns/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch TEHNS — keep everything else short and quick.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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In real conversation

Hear "intense" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"She stretched her muscles before starting the intense workout."

shee STREHCHT her MUH·suhlz buh·FOR STAR·tuhng dhee uhn·TEHNS WURK·owt

"The rival teams have a long history of intense competition."

dhuh RAHY·vuhl TEEMZ hav uh lahng HIH·stuh·ree uhv uhn·TEHNS kahm·puh·TIH·shuhn

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch TEHNS — keep everything else short and quick.

UHN·tehns→uhn·TEHNS

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

UHN·TEHNS→uhn·TEHNS

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "intense" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "TEHNS" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "uhn-TEHNS" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the first syllable in "intense" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "uhn-TEHNS" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "intense" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "uhn-TEHNS" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Hear "intense" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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