How to pronounce “direction”
Say “direction” in 3 beats
direction
/dɚˈɛkʃən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /daɪɹɛkʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- dirdɚ
- ecɛkstress
- tionʃən
- IPA (American)
- /dɚˈɛkʃən/
- IPA (British)
- /daɪɹɛkʃən/
- Also accepted
- /diˈɹɛkʃɪn/
- Also accepted
- /daɪˈɹɛkʃɪn/
- Also accepted
- /dɪˈɹɛkʃɪn/
- Respelling
- duh-EK-shuhn
- Syllables
- 3 — dir-EC-tion
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: dir-EC-tion. “ec” 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
American and British are not the same here
/dɚˈɛkʃən/
/daɪɹɛkʃən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “direction” means
- noun
a line leading to a place or point
“he looked the other direction”
- noun
the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves
“he checked the direction and velocity of the wind”
- noun
a general course along which something has a tendency to develop
“I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts”
Say it in a sentence
“She asked a stranger for direction to the old station.”“direction”, answered
How do you pronounce “direction”?
“direction” is pronounced /dɚˈɛkʃən/ (duh-EK-shuhn) in American English and /daɪɹɛkʃən/ in British English, and /diˈɹɛkʃɪn/ and /daɪˈɹɛkʃɪn/ and /dɪˈɹɛkʃɪn/ are also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ec”. Build it as dir-EC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “direction” have?
3: dir · ec · tion. The beat lands on the second, “ec”.
Is “direction” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /dɚˈɛkʃən/ (duh-EK-shuhn); British English says /daɪɹɛkʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “direction” mean?
As a noun: a line leading to a place or point For example: “he looked the other direction” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “direction”?
Stress the second syllable: dir-EC-tion. “ec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “direction” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.