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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “apprehension”

“apprehension” is pronounced /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/ (a-pri-HEN-shuhn) in American English and /apɹɪhɛnʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “apprehension” in 4 beats

Say it like this

apprehension

/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. appæ
  2. rehpɹɪ
  3. enhɛnstress
  4. sionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/
IPA (British)
/apɹɪhɛnʃən/
Respelling
a-pri-HEN-shuhn
Syllables
4 — app-reh-EN-sion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: app-reh-EN-sion. “en” 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

/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/

British

/apɹɪhɛnʃən/

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

Meaning

What “apprehension” means

  1. noun

    fearful expectation or anticipation

    “the student looked around the examination room with apprehension”

  2. noun

    the cognitive condition of someone who understands

    “he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect”

  3. noun

    painful expectation

Say it in a sentence

“She waited outside the exam hall with real apprehension.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them
æshort appɹrɪshort ihhɛshort enn×2ʃshəschwa

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

Questions

“apprehension”, answered

How do you pronounce “apprehension”?

“apprehension” is pronounced /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/ (a-pri-HEN-shuhn) in American English and /apɹɪhɛnʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as app-reh-EN-sion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “apprehension” have?

4: app · reh · en · sion. The beat lands on the third, “en”.

Is “apprehension” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnʃən/ (a-pri-HEN-shuhn); British English says /apɹɪhɛnʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “apprehension” mean?

As a noun: fearful expectation or anticipation For example: “the student looked around the examination room with apprehension” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “apprehension”?

Stress the third syllable: app-reh-EN-sion. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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