Pronunciation

How to pronounce “extension

“extension” is pronounced /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/ (ik-STEN-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkstɛnʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ten”.
The sound

Say “extension” in 3 beats

Say it like this

extension

/ɪkˈstɛnʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. tenstɛnstress
  3. sionʃən
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈstɛnʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɛkstɛnʃən/
Respelling
ik-STEN-shuhn
Syllables
3 — ex-TEN-sion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-TEN-sion. “ten” 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

/ɪkˈstɛnʃən/

British

/ɛkstɛnʃən/

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

Meaning

What “extension” means

  1. noun

    a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt

    they applied for an extension of the loan

  2. noun

    act of expanding in scope; making more widely available

    extension of the program to all in need

  3. noun

    the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions

Say it in a sentence

The builder asked for a two-week extension on the job.
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

extension”, answered

How do you pronounce “extension”?

“extension” is pronounced /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/ (ik-STEN-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkstɛnʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ten”. Build it as ex-TEN-sion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “extension” have?

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

Is “extension” said differently in British English?

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

What does “extension” mean?

As a noun: a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt For example: “they applied for an extension of the loan” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “extension”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “extension” 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.