Pronunciation

How to pronounce “certification

“certification” is pronounced /ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/ (sur-tuh-fuh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /sɜːtɪfɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “certification” in 5 beats

Say it like this

certification

/ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/

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

5 beats
  1. cer
  2. tif
  3. ic
  4. atkeɪstress
  5. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/sɜːtɪfɪkeɪʃən/
Respelling
sur-tuh-fuh-KAY-shuhn
Syllables
5 — cer-tif-ic-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: cer-tif-ic-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

/ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/

British

/sɜːtɪfɪkeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “certification” means

  1. noun

    the act of certifying or bestowing a franchise on

  2. noun

    confirmation that some fact or statement is true through the use of documentary evidence

  3. noun

    a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts

Say it in a sentence

The certification has to be renewed every three years.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

certification”, answered

How do you pronounce “certification”?

“certification” is pronounced /ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/ (sur-tuh-fuh-KAY-shuhn) in American English and /sɜːtɪfɪkeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as cer-tif-ic-AT-ion, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “certification” have?

5: cer · tif · ic · at · ion. The beat lands on the fourth, “at”.

Is “certification” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌsɝtəfəˈkeɪʃən/ (sur-tuh-fuh-KAY-shuhn); British English says /sɜːtɪfɪkeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “certification” mean?

As a noun: the act of certifying or bestowing a franchise on For example: “The certification has to be renewed every three years.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “certification”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “certification” and see every sound

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