Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

instill

/ɪnˈstɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English

Syllables
in-still
IPA
/ɪnˈstɪl/
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.

Transitive verb

verb

To pour in (medicine, for example) drop by drop.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Latin stīlla Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin stīllō Latin instillōbor. English instill Borrowed from Latin instillō.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɪnˈstɪl/
  • British English: /ɪnˈstɪl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

instills (present, singular) instilling (participle, present) instilled (participle, past) instilled (past) instil (alternative)

Derived Forms

instillment reinstill uninstilled

Frequently Paired Words

indoctrinate infuse inculcate

Synonyms

impress ingrain din implant infix impregnate infuse tincture

Homonyms

instil

Rhymes With

will still until bill kill hill till ill fill brazil skill mill

Questions

How do you pronounce instill?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈstɪl/.
What does instill mean?
To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.
Where does instill come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Latin stīlla Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin stīllō Latin instillōbor. English instill Borrowed from Latin instillō.

How to pronounce instill

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “instill”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪnˈstɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “instill”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “instill” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.