Pronunciation

How to pronounce “addition

“addition” is pronounced /əˈdɪʃən/ (uh-DI-shuhn) in American English and /ɐdɪʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “dit”.
The sound

Say “addition” in 3 beats

Say it like this

addition

/əˈdɪʃən/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐdɪʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. adə
  2. ditstress
  3. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/əˈdɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɐdɪʃən/
Respelling
uh-DI-shuhn
Syllables
3 — ad-DIT-ion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ad-DIT-ion. “dit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈdɪʃən/

British

/ɐdɪʃən/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “addition” means

  1. noun

    a component that is added to something to improve it

    the addition of a bathroom was a major improvement

  2. noun

    the act of adding one thing to another

    the addition of flowers created a pleasing effect

  3. noun

    a quantity that is added

    there was an addition to property taxes this year

Say it in a sentence

The family welcomed a new addition just before winter.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

addition”, answered

How do you pronounce “addition”?

“addition” is pronounced /əˈdɪʃən/ (uh-DI-shuhn) in American English and /ɐdɪʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “dit”. Build it as ad-DIT-ion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “addition” have?

3: ad · dit · ion. The beat lands on the second, “dit”.

Is “addition” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈdɪʃən/ (uh-DI-shuhn); British English says /ɐdɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “addition” mean?

As a noun: a component that is added to something to improve it For example: “the addition of a bathroom was a major improvement” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “addition”?

Stress the second syllable: ad-DIT-ion. “dit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “addition” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.