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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “collection”

“collection” is pronounced /kəˈlɛkʃən/ (kuh-LEK-shuhn) in American English and /kəlɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lec”.
The sound

Say “collection” in 3 beats

Say it like this

collection

/kəˈlɛkʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. colkə
  2. leclɛkstress
  3. tionʃən
IPA (American)
/kəˈlɛkʃən/
IPA (British)
/kəlɛkʃən/
Respelling
kuh-LEK-shuhn
Syllables
3 — col-LEC-tion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: col-LEC-tion. “lec” 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

/kəˈlɛkʃən/

British

/kəlɛkʃən/

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

Meaning

What “collection” means

  1. noun

    several things grouped together or considered as a whole

  2. noun

    a publication containing a variety of works

  3. noun

    request for a sum of money

    “an appeal to raise money for starving children”

Say it in a sentence

“The museum added a rare vase to its collection.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kk×2əschwa×2llɛshort eʃshnn

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

Questions

“collection”, answered

How do you pronounce “collection”?

“collection” is pronounced /kəˈlɛkʃən/ (kuh-LEK-shuhn) in American English and /kəlɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lec”. Build it as col-LEC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “collection” have?

3: col · lec · tion. The beat lands on the second, “lec”.

Is “collection” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəˈlɛkʃən/ (kuh-LEK-shuhn); British English says /kəlɛkʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “collection” mean?

As a noun: several things grouped together or considered as a whole For example: “The museum added a rare vase to its collection.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “collection”?

Stress the second syllable: col-LEC-tion. “lec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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