inlet
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An arm off of a larger body of water.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
inletSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪnlɛt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
A body of water let into a coast, such as a bay, cove, fjord or estuary.
A passage that leads into a cavity.
verb
transitive
To let in; admit.
transitive
To insert; inlay.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
Used this way, inlet is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use inlet
- “The small inlet provides a calm and protected place for boats to dock.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Manifold that carries vaporized fuel from the carburetor to the inlet valves of the cylinders.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.