Pronunciation

How to pronounce “application

“application” is pronounced /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/ (a-pluh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /aplɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “application” in 4 beats

Say it like this

application

/ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. appæ
  2. licplə
  3. atkeɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/aplɪkeɪʃən/
Respelling
a-pluh-KAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — app-lic-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: app-lic-AT-ion. “at” 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

/ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/

British

/aplɪkeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “application” means

  1. noun

    the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose

    he advocated the application of statistics to the problem

  2. noun

    a verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school

    December 31 is the deadline for applications

  3. noun

    the work of applying something

    the doctor prescribed a topical application of iodine

Say it in a sentence

My application was accepted within a fortnight of sending it.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

application”, answered

How do you pronounce “application”?

“application” is pronounced /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/ (a-pluh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /aplɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as app-lic-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “application” have?

4: app · lic · at · ion. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “application” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/ (a-pluh-KAY-shuhn); British English says /aplɪkeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “application” mean?

As a noun: the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose For example: “he advocated the application of statistics to the problem” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “application”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “application” 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.