HOW TO PRONOUNCE
independent
/ˌɪndɪˈpɛndənt/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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Give “pen” the main stress.
The opening in has secondary stress, while pen carries the main beat. Keep the vowels immediately before and after that strong syllable comparatively light.
4 syllables · Stress on syllable 3
TRY SAYING
“The children completed an independent reading activity.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does independent mean?
adjective
- Not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free.
- Not affiliated with any political party.
- Providing a comfortable livelihood.
More meanings (8)
adjective
- Not subject to bias or influence; self-directing.
- Separate from; exclusive; irrespective.
noun
- A candidate or voter not affiliated with any political party, a freethinker, free of a party platform.
- A neutral or uncommitted person.
- A small, privately owned business.
- A team not affiliated with any league or conference.
- An individual, group, or church that operates outside the authority, structure, or dogma of established, hierarchical, or denominational bodies.
- An individual governed by spiritual independence; self-governed under divine guidance rather than swayed by human opinions, mortal beliefs, or external influences.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˌɪndɪˈpɛndənt/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
The captive register then acts as a flag of convenience register, except that it is not the register of an independent state.
There is scarcely anything that can wound the pride or degrade the character of an independent nation which we do not experience.
More book examples (3)
In the matter of nourishment he was quite independent of his mother, though this independence had not been won without a struggle.
It was a good thing to have some occupation which was quite independent of other people, she said, when one got old.
If he fails to give a suitable answer, or seems too independent or “sassy,” he may be arrested or summarily driven away.