---
title: "Indianapolis Pronunciation: How to Say It in English"
description: "Indianapolis is pronounced /ˌɪn.di.ə.ˈnæ.pə.lɪs/ — ihn-dee-uh-NA-puh-lihs. Say it out loud and get free AI feedback in seconds."
url: "https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/indianapolis"
---

[How to pronounce](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce)

# Indianapolis pronunciation

/ˌɪn.di.ə.ˈnæ.pə.lɪs/

ihn-dee-uh-NA-puh-lihs

Indianapolis has 6 syllables. The stress is on the fourth syllable, "na". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.

## Say indianapolis and check it

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Accent

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Listen

Press record, say "indianapolis" once or twice at normal speed, then stop. You will see which syllables matched and what to change.

## Indianapolis syllables

Indianapolis has 6 syllables: ihn-dee-uh-NA-puh-lihs.

1. ihn ɪn
2. dee di
3. uh ə
4. NA næ
5. puh pə
6. lihs lɪs

In-dee-uh-NAP-uh-lis, six syllables, main stress on "nap". Break it as "Indiana" plus "polis", and keep the final syllable a weak "lis".

The -s ending adds a syllable, pronounced iz, because the base word ends in a hissing sound.

## Sounds to watch

### The l sound

Touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind your top teeth. At the end of a syllable the l is darker and the back of the tongue rises.

### Weak syllables

The unstressed syllables use a short, relaxed uh (schwa). Rushing through them lightly is correct; giving them a full vowel sounds unnatural.

### Short i versus ee

The short i (as in sit) is shorter and more relaxed than ee. Many learners stretch it into ee, which changes the word.

### The a in cat

Open the jaw wider than for eh and spread the lips slightly. The a in cat is a distinct vowel, not eh or ah.

## Indianapolis in a sentence

- Indianapolis hosts the biggest single-day sporting event in the world.
- They drove from Indianapolis to Chicago in under three hours.

Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.

## What Speakeroo listens for

These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.

- Final -s ending unclear Use the correct /s/, /z/ or /ɪz/ ending and keep it audible.
- Stress placed on the wrong syllable Make the correct syllable longer, clearer and more prominent.
- Final consonant omitted Hold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- Schwa not reduced Relax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
- /ɪ/ and /iː/ confused Make /iː/ higher, tenser and usually longer than /ɪ/.

## Questions

### How do you pronounce indianapolis?

Indianapolis is pronounced /ˌɪn.di.ə.ˈnæ.pə.lɪs/, or ihn-dee-uh-NA-puh-lihs in plain letters. It has 6 syllables and the stress falls on the fourth syllable, "na".

### How many syllables are in indianapolis?

6: ihn-dee-uh-NA-puh-lihs. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.

### How do you use indianapolis in a sentence?

Indianapolis hosts the biggest single-day sporting event in the world. They drove from Indianapolis to Chicago in under three hours.

### How is the ending of indianapolis pronounced?

The -s ending adds a syllable, pronounced iz, because the base word ends in a hissing sound.

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