Pronunciation

How to pronounce “expansion

“expansion” is pronounced /ɪkˈspænʃən/ (ik-SPAN-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkspanʃən/ in British English, and /ɪkˈspæntʃən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “pan”.
The sound

Say “expansion” in 3 beats

Say it like this

expansion

/ɪkˈspænʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. panspænstress
  3. sionʃən
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈspænʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɛkspanʃən/
Also accepted
/ɪkˈspæntʃən/
Respelling
ik-SPAN-shuhn
Syllables
3 — ex-PAN-sion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-PAN-sion. “pan” 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

/ɪkˈspænʃən/

British

/ɛkspanʃən/

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

Meaning

What “expansion” means

  1. noun

    the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope

  2. noun

    a function expressed as a sum or product of terms

    the expansion of (a+b)^2 is a^2 + 2ab + b^2

  3. noun

    a discussion that provides additional information

Say it in a sentence

The expansion into two new towns went smoothly.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

expansion”, answered

How do you pronounce “expansion”?

“expansion” is pronounced /ɪkˈspænʃən/ (ik-SPAN-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkspanʃən/ in British English, and /ɪkˈspæntʃən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “pan”. Build it as ex-PAN-sion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “expansion” have?

3: ex · pan · sion. The beat lands on the second, “pan”.

Is “expansion” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspænʃən/ (ik-SPAN-shuhn); British English says /ɛkspanʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “expansion” mean?

As a noun: the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope For example: “The expansion into two new towns went smoothly.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “expansion”?

Stress the second syllable: ex-PAN-sion. “pan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “expansion” 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.