Pronunciation

How to pronounce “extinction

“extinction” is pronounced /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ (ik-STINGK-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkstɪŋkʃən/ in British English, and /ɪkˈstɪŋʃən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tinc”.
The sound

Say “extinction” in 3 beats

Say it like this

extinction

/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. tincstɪŋkstress
  3. tionʃən
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɛkstɪŋkʃən/
Also accepted
/ɪkˈstɪŋʃən/
Respelling
ik-STINGK-shuhn
Syllables
3 — ex-TINC-tion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-TINC-tion. “tinc” 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

/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/

British

/ɛkstɪŋkʃən/

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

Meaning

What “extinction” means

  1. noun

    no longer active; extinguished

    the extinction of the volcano

  2. noun

    no longer in existence

    the extinction of a species

  3. noun

    the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation

Say it in a sentence

Hunting drove the bird to extinction within a single century.
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

extinction”, answered

How do you pronounce “extinction”?

“extinction” is pronounced /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ (ik-STINGK-shuhn) in American English and /ɛkstɪŋkʃən/ in British English, and /ɪkˈstɪŋʃən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tinc”. Build it as ex-TINC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “extinction” have?

3: ex · tinc · tion. The beat lands on the second, “tinc”.

Is “extinction” said differently in British English?

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

What does “extinction” mean?

As a noun: no longer active; extinguished For example: “the extinction of the volcano” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “extinction”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “extinction” 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.