How to pronounce "insignificant" in English
ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt
in·sig·NIH·fih·kənt
Primary stress: NIH
Hear native speakers say insignificant in context across real video clips
are. And regrettably, we know that um a a a number of them, a a not insignificant number, have gone on to commit crimes, drug dealing, money laundering or worse. And some of them come specifically laundering or worse. And some of them come specifically
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “insignificant”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
in
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
sig
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
NIH
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
fih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
kənt
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("NIH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "insignificant" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "insignificant is" sounds like "insignificant-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "insignificant" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“insignificant number, have gone on to commit crimes, drug dealing, money laundering or worse.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“insignificant yeah that was a big blot on his career i think it's fair to say without a doubt”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“insignificant things that we take for granted our universe might really contain nothing.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“insignificant. But but the drama of him being yeah as I say late to his own”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“insignificant um because the problem seems to to be with a do ledge which is”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“insignificant yeah this it's kind of sad that this world the history of human”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “insignificant”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
insignificant number, have gone on to commit crimes, drug dealing, money laundering or worse.
Hear it in context: “insignificant”
1,333 clipsThe English word “insignificant” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt (phonetic respelling: in-sig-NIH-fih-kənt). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (in · sig · NIH · fih · kənt), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (NIH). Grammatically, “insignificant” functions as a adjective, noun. SayItVid indexes 1,333 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “insignificant” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @13:31
“are. And regrettably, we know that um a a a number of them, a a not insignificant number, have gone on to commit crimes, drug dealing, money laundering or worse. And some of them come specifically laundering or worse. And some of them come specifically”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @26:18
“overshadowed by a party funding scandal that was not insignificant yeah that was a big blot on his career i think it's fair to say without a doubt on his career i think it's fair to say without a doubt”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @4:35
“I think it is incredible that without these fluctuations in the vacuum these tiny insignificant things that we take for granted our universe might really contain nothing. Nothing of interest anyway... contain nothing. Nothing of interest anyway...”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @6:39
“kind of process of today was sort of brushed away as being as being insignificant. But but the drama of him being yeah as I say late to his own defection rather underlined that sense of how today had come about and how”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @0:56
“sold of that model and uh I think the problem uh is insignificant um because the problem seems to to be with a do ledge which is um I think EAS very different from an accelerated throttle Electronics problem”
Definition & Meaning: “insignificant”
- Not significant; not important, inconsequential, or having no noticeable effect.
- Without meaning; not signifying anything.
- Someone or something that is insignificant.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Such things are insignificant details compared to the main goal.”
- “Methinks I feel all the Woman riſe in me when I reflect upon the nauſeous Rogues that pretend to deceive us. Wretches! that can never have it in their Power to over-reach any Thing living but their Miſtreſſes! In the Name of Goodneſs, if we are deſigned by Nature as ſuitable Companions to the other Sex, why are we not treated accordingly? If we have Merit, as ſome allow, why is it not as baſe in Men to injure us, as one another? If we are the Inſignificants, that others call us, where is the Triumph in deceiving us?”
- “insignificant number, have gone on to commit crimes, drug dealing, money laundering or worse. And some of them come specifically”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “insignificant”
- Pronunciation:
- in-sig-NIH-fih-kənt
- Syllables:
- in · sig · NIH · fih · kənt
- Written Hyphenation:
- in · sig · nif · i · cant
- Primary stress:
- NIH
- IPA:
- ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt
- Hear it in context
- insignificant
Words that Rhyme with “insignificant”
-ɪfɪkəntWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"insignificant" (⁄ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "insignificant" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about insignificant
How do you pronounce “insignificant”?
“insignificant” is pronounced ⁄ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt⁄ (in-sig-NIH-fih-kənt). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “insignificant”?
“insignificant” has 5 syllables: in · sig · NIH · fih · kənt.
Where is the stress in “insignificant”?
The primary stress in “insignificant” is on “NIH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “insignificant” mean?
Not significant; not important, inconsequential, or having no noticeable effect.
How can I hear “insignificant” used in real sentences?
This page has 1333 real-world video examples of “insignificant” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “insignificant”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).