How to pronounce "labor intensive" in English
ˌleɪ.bɚ.ɪnˈtɛn.sɪv
lay·bər·in·TEN·siv
Primary stress: TEN
Hear native speakers say labor intensive in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “labor intensive”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
lay
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
bər
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
in
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
TEN
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
siv
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the fourth syllable ("TEN"). 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 followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "labor intensive" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“labor intensive but now companies have started to use digital Solutions and Tech such as mobile phones applications”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“how labor intensive that was i saw the irrigation ditches that were so inefficient and the farm and the farmland that was”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“less labor intensive but de feta says he's now under far more pressure you have a lot more responsibility than”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“labor intensive. You know, the standup, it's hard work to then make it look easy.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“labor intensive export sector 'cause it's moved on up the value added chain, where are they gonna go?"”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“labor intensive uh the big challenge is in Germany actually not that uh”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “labor intensive”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
labor intensive but now companies have started to use digital Solutions and Tech such as mobile phones applications
Hear it in context: “labor intensive”
474 clipsThe English word “labor intensive” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌleɪ.bɚ.ɪnˈtɛn.sɪv (phonetic respelling: lay-bər-in-TEN-siv). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (lay · bər · in · TEN · siv), with primary lexical stress placed on the 4th syllable (TEN). Grammatically, “labor intensive” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 474 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “labor intensive” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, Harvard University, CNBC.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @7:48
“happening on the ground this was very labor intensive but now companies have started to use digital Solutions and Tech such as mobile phones applications started to use digital Solutions and”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @14:56
“out threshing wheat or cutting corn and harvesting the grain by hand and i saw how labor intensive that was i saw the irrigation ditches that were so inefficient and the farm and the farmland that was inefficient and the farm and the farmland that was”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @1:29
“tractor but everything took Time new technology has made farm work less labor intensive but de feta says he's now under far more pressure you have a lot more responsibility than pressure you have a lot more responsibility than”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @35:22
“writing and the stuff Ricky and I make or anything I might do on my own, that's just labor intensive. You know, the standup, it's hard work to then make it look easy. You know, the standup, it's hard work to then make it look easy.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @35:13
“end of the skill and education spectrum in the rural areas? If they can't get into the labor intensive export sector 'cause it's moved on up the value added chain, where are they gonna go?" And you have to have an answer to that. You need an employment engine running they gonna go?" And you have to have an answer to that. You need an employment engine running”
Definition & Meaning: “labor intensive”
- Needing a large amount of human work or effort in proportion to capital or other resources.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Agriculture in that region remains heavily labor-intensive despite modern technological advancements.”
- “labor intensive but now companies have started to use digital Solutions and Tech such as mobile phones applications”
- “how labor intensive that was i saw the irrigation ditches that were so inefficient and the farm and the farmland that was”
Pronounce: “labor intensive”
- Pronunciation:
- lay-bər-in-TEN-siv
- Syllables:
- lay · bər · in · TEN · siv
- Written Hyphenation:
- la · bor · in · ten · sive
- Primary stress:
- TEN
- IPA:
- ˌleɪ.bɚ.ɪnˈtɛn.sɪv
- Hear it in context
- labor intensive
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"labor intensive" (⁄ˌleɪ.bɚ.ɪnˈtɛn.sɪv⁄) 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, "labor intensive" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about labor intensive
How do you pronounce “labor intensive”?
“labor intensive” is pronounced ⁄ˌleɪ.bɚ.ɪnˈtɛn.sɪv⁄ (lay-bər-in-TEN-siv). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “labor intensive”?
“labor intensive” has 5 syllables: lay · bər · in · TEN · siv.
Where is the stress in “labor intensive”?
The primary stress in “labor intensive” is on “TEN”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “labor intensive” mean?
Needing a large amount of human work or effort in proportion to capital or other resources.
How can I hear “labor intensive” used in real sentences?
This page has 474 real-world video examples of “labor intensive” 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 “labor intensive”?
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⁄).