Pronunciation

How to pronounce “differentiation

“differentiation” is pronounced /dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/ (di-fuh-en-shee-AY-shuhn) in American English and /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪʃən/ in British English, and /ˌdɪfɚˌɛntʃiˈeɪʃən/ is also accepted — 6 syllables, stressed on “eɪ”.
The sound

Say “differentiation” in 6 beats

Say it like this

differentiation

/dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/

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

6 beats
  1. ɛnɛn
  2. ʃiʃi
  3. stress
  4. ʃənʃən
IPA (American)
/dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪʃən/
Also accepted
/ˌdɪfɚˌɛntʃiˈeɪʃən/
Respelling
di-fuh-en-shee-AY-shuhn
Syllables
6 — dɪ-fɚ-ɛn-ʃi-EꞮ-ʃən
Stress
Stress the fifth syllable: dɪ-fɚ-ɛn-ʃi-EꞮ-ʃən. “eɪ” 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

/dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/

British

/dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “differentiation” means

  1. noun

    a discrimination between things as different and distinct

    it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation

  2. noun

    the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function

  3. noun

    (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function

    cell differentiation in the developing embryo

Say it in a sentence

Differentiation in the classroom helps the slower readers most.
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

differentiation”, answered

How do you pronounce “differentiation”?

“differentiation” is pronounced /dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/ (di-fuh-en-shee-AY-shuhn) in American English and /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪʃən/ in British English, and /ˌdɪfɚˌɛntʃiˈeɪʃən/ is also accepted — 6 syllables, stressed on “eɪ”. Build it as dɪ-fɚ-ɛn-ʃi-EꞮ-ʃən, then run the fifth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “differentiation” have?

6: dɪ · fɚ · ɛn · ʃi · eɪ · ʃən. The beat lands on the fifth, “eɪ”.

Is “differentiation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɪfɚˌɛnʃiˈeɪʃən/ (di-fuh-en-shee-AY-shuhn); British English says /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “differentiation” mean?

As a noun: a discrimination between things as different and distinct For example: “it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “differentiation”?

Stress the fifth syllable: dɪ-fɚ-ɛn-ʃi-EꞮ-ʃən. “eɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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