Pronunciation

How to pronounce “inclination

“inclination” is pronounced /ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/ (in-kluh-NAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪŋklɪneɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “inclination” in 4 beats

Say it like this

inclination

/ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. incɪn
  2. linklə
  3. atneɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪŋklɪneɪʃən/
Respelling
in-kluh-NAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — inc-lin-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: inc-lin-AT-ion. “at” 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

/ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/

British

/ɪŋklɪneɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “inclination” means

  1. noun

    an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others

    he had an inclination to give up too easily

  2. noun

    (astronomy) the angle between the plane of the orbit and the plane of the ecliptic stated in degrees

  3. noun

    (geometry) the angle formed by the x-axis and a given line (measured counterclockwise from the positive half of the x-axis)

Say it in a sentence

My inclination is to wait until the weather improves.
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

inclination”, answered

How do you pronounce “inclination”?

“inclination” is pronounced /ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/ (in-kluh-NAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪŋklɪneɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as inc-lin-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “inclination” have?

4: inc · lin · at · ion. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “inclination” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnkləˈneɪʃən/ (in-kluh-NAY-shuhn); British English says /ɪŋklɪneɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “inclination” mean?

As a noun: an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others For example: “he had an inclination to give up too easily” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “inclination”?

Stress the third syllable: inc-lin-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “inclination” and see every sound

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