Pronunciation

How to pronounce “election

“election” is pronounced /ɪˈlɛkʃən/ (i-LEK-shuhn) in American English and /ɪlɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ec”.
The sound

Say “election” in 3 beats

Say it like this

election

/ɪˈlɛkʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. elɪ
  2. eclɛkstress
  3. tionʃən
IPA (American)
/ɪˈlɛkʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪlɛkʃən/
Respelling
i-LEK-shuhn
Syllables
3 — el-EC-tion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: el-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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪˈlɛkʃən/

British

/ɪlɛkʃən/

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

Meaning

What “election” means

  1. noun

    a vote to select the winner of a position or political office

    the results of the election will be announced tonight

  2. noun

    the act of selecting someone or something; the exercise of deliberate choice

    her election of medicine as a profession

  3. noun

    the status or fact of being elected

    they celebrated his election

Say it in a sentence

The election results surprised almost everyone in town.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

election”, answered

How do you pronounce “election”?

“election” is pronounced /ɪˈlɛkʃən/ (i-LEK-shuhn) in American English and /ɪlɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ec”. Build it as el-EC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “election” have?

3: el · ec · tion. The beat lands on the second, “ec”.

Is “election” said differently in British English?

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

What does “election” mean?

As a noun: a vote to select the winner of a position or political office For example: “the results of the election will be announced tonight” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “election”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “election” 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.