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intelligible

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An adjective describing language, thought, or sound that is clear, coherent, and easily comprehended by the mind.

Detailed Definition
Intelligible is a literary or formal word for something that can be understood clearly. Here it modifies “Why,” giving the idea of a reason that can be grasped or explained.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Conscious of one intelligible Why” uses intelligible to mean understandable or capable of being grasped; “The stars offered no intelligible answer” contrasts order with mystery; “Her grief became intelligible only in the poem” suggests language giving experience shape; The adjective often introduces philosophical questions about whether the world has coherent meaning
Additional Notes
Although related to common speech, this formal adjective is less everyday than simpler words like “clear” or “understandable.”; Found in the poem, Estrangement by William Watson
Also Known As
comprehensible clear understandable lucid
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