inlet

Compared meaning: an opening where something enters a system (noun).

比较义项：入口，物质进入系统的开口或通道（名词）。

• intake

  Intake typically names the opening where air, water, or fuel enters an engine or a body system, and commonly pairs with 'air' or 'oxygen', or stands alone for a system's entry point.

  intake 通常指气体、水或燃料进入发动机或人体系统的入口，常与 air（空气）、oxygen（氧气）等词搭配，或单独指某系统的入口。

  A clogged air intake can seriously reduce the engine's power.

  进气口堵塞会严重降低发动机的功率。

• inlet 本词

  Inlet stresses the passage or channel itself, especially in plumbing and valves, and is the more usual British word for what Americans often call an intake.

  inlet 强调进入的通道或管道本身，常用于管道和阀门，也是英式英语中对应美式 intake 的常用说法。

  The plumber replaced the rusty water inlet on the washing machine.

  水管工更换了洗衣机上生锈的进水口。

Intake and inlet both mean an opening where something enters a system. Intake names the opening where air, water, or fuel enters an engine or the body. Inlet stresses the pipe or channel itself, and is the usual British word for an intake.

两个词在“物体进入的入口或通道”这个意义上相近，但常见搭配和语境略有不同：intake 常指气体、液体或燃料进入发动机或人体系统的开口（如 air intake 进气口），inlet 更强调管道、阀门或水流本身的通道（如 water inlet 进水口），有时也是英式说法。这里不比较 intake 表示“摄入量”（如 sugar intake 指糖分摄入量）以及 inlet 表示“狭长的海湾／水湾”这两个常见的其他意思。