Pronunciation

How to pronounce “innovation

“innovation” is pronounced /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/ (i-nuh-VAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnəveɪʃən/ in British English, and /ˌɪnoʊˈveɪʃən/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “innovation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

innovation

/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. inɪ
  2. nov
  3. atveɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪnəveɪʃən/
Also accepted
/ˌɪnoʊˈveɪʃən/
Respelling
i-nuh-VAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — in-nov-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: in-nov-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

/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/

British

/ɪnəveɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “innovation” means

  1. noun

    a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation

  2. noun

    the creation of something in the mind

  3. noun

    the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new

    she looked forward to her initiation as an adult

Say it in a sentence

The company's best innovation came from a junior engineer.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

innovation”, answered

How do you pronounce “innovation”?

“innovation” is pronounced /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/ (i-nuh-VAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnəveɪʃən/ in British English, and /ˌɪnoʊˈveɪʃən/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as in-nov-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “innovation” have?

4: in · nov · at · ion. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “innovation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/ (i-nuh-VAY-shuhn); British English says /ɪnəveɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “innovation” mean?

As a noun: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation For example: “The company's best innovation came from a junior engineer.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “innovation”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “innovation” and see every sound

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