Pronunciation

How to pronounce “instruction

“instruction” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ (in-STRUK-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnstɹʌkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “truc”.
The sound

Say “instruction” in 3 beats

Say it like this

instruction

/ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. insɪn
  2. trucstɹʌkstress
  3. tionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪnstɹʌkʃən/
Respelling
in-STRUK-shuhn
Syllables
3 — ins-TRUC-tion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ins-TRUC-tion. “truc” 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

/ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/

British

/ɪnstɹʌkʃən/

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

Meaning

What “instruction” means

  1. noun

    a message describing how something is to be done

    he gave directions faster than she could follow them

  2. noun

    the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill

    he received no formal education

  3. noun

    the profession of a teacher

    he prepared for teaching while still in college

Say it in a sentence

Follow the instruction on the back of the packet exactly.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

instruction”, answered

How do you pronounce “instruction”?

“instruction” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ (in-STRUK-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnstɹʌkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “truc”. Build it as ins-TRUC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “instruction” have?

3: ins · truc · tion. The beat lands on the second, “truc”.

Is “instruction” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ (in-STRUK-shuhn); British English says /ɪnstɹʌkʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “instruction” mean?

As a noun: a message describing how something is to be done For example: “he gave directions faster than she could follow them” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “instruction”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “instruction” 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.