Pronunciation

How to pronounce “allegation

“allegation” is pronounced /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/ (a-luh-GAY-shuhn) in American English and /alɪɡeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “allegation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

allegation

/ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. alæ
  2. leg
  3. atɡeɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/alɪɡeɪʃən/
Respelling
a-luh-GAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — al-leg-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: al-leg-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/

British

/alɪɡeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “allegation” means

  1. noun

    (law) a formal accusation against somebody (often in a court of law)

    an allegation of malpractice

  2. noun

    statements affirming or denying certain matters of fact that you are prepared to prove

Say it in a sentence

The allegation was investigated and found to be unfounded.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

allegation”, answered

How do you pronounce “allegation”?

“allegation” is pronounced /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/ (a-luh-GAY-shuhn) in American English and /alɪɡeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as al-leg-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “allegation” have?

4: al · leg · at · ion. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “allegation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/ (a-luh-GAY-shuhn); British English says /alɪɡeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “allegation” mean?

As a noun: (law) a formal accusation against somebody (often in a court of law) For example: “an allegation of malpractice” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “allegation”?

Stress the third syllable: al-leg-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “allegation” and see every sound

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