Pronunciation

How to pronounce “authentication

“authentication” is pronounced /ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/ (aw-then-tuh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɔːθɛntɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “authentication” in 5 beats

Say it like this

authentication

/ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/

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

5 beats
  1. autɔ
  2. henθɛn
  3. tic
  4. atkeɪstress
  5. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɔːθɛntɪkeɪʃən/
Respelling
aw-then-tuh-KAY-shuhn
Syllables
5 — aut-hen-tic-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: aut-hen-tic-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

/ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/

British

/ɔːθɛntɪkeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “authentication” means

  1. noun

    a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity

  2. noun

    validating the authenticity of something or someone

Say it in a sentence

Two-factor authentication is now required for every account.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

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

Questions

authentication”, answered

How do you pronounce “authentication”?

“authentication” is pronounced /ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/ (aw-then-tuh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɔːθɛntɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as aut-hen-tic-AT-ion, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “authentication” have?

5: aut · hen · tic · at · ion. The beat lands on the fourth, “at”.

Is “authentication” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɔˌθɛntəˈkeɪʃən/ (aw-then-tuh-KAY-shuhn); British English says /ɔːθɛntɪkeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “authentication” mean?

As a noun: a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity For example: “Two-factor authentication is now required for every account.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “authentication”?

Stress the fourth syllable: aut-hen-tic-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “authentication” and see every sound

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