How to pronounce “interpretation”
Say “interpretation” in 5 beats
interpretation
/ˌɪnˌtɝpɹɪˈteɪʃən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪntɜːpɹɪteɪʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- inɪn
- terptɝ
- retpɹɪ
- atteɪstress
- ionʃən
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɪnˌtɝpɹɪˈteɪʃən/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪntɜːpɹɪteɪʃən/
- Respelling
- in-tur-pri-TAY-shuhn
- Syllables
- 5 — in-terp-ret-AT-ion
- Stress
- Stress the fourth syllable: in-terp-ret-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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɪnˌtɝpɹɪˈteɪʃən/
/ɪntɜːpɹɪteɪʃən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “interpretation” means
- noun
a mental representation of the meaning or significance of something
- noun
the act of interpreting something as expressed in an artistic performance
“her rendition of Milton's verse was extraordinarily moving”
- noun
an explanation that results from interpreting something
“the report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence”
Say it in a sentence
“Her interpretation of the letter differs sharply from mine.”“interpretation”, answered
How do you pronounce “interpretation”?
“interpretation” is pronounced /ˌɪnˌtɝpɹɪˈteɪʃən/ (in-tur-pri-TAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪntɜːpɹɪteɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as in-terp-ret-AT-ion, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “interpretation” have?
5: in · terp · ret · at · ion. The beat lands on the fourth, “at”.
Is “interpretation” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˌtɝpɹɪˈteɪʃən/ (in-tur-pri-TAY-shuhn); British English says /ɪntɜːpɹɪteɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “interpretation” mean?
As a noun: a mental representation of the meaning or significance of something For example: “Her interpretation of the letter differs sharply from mine.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “interpretation”?
Stress the fourth syllable: in-terp-ret-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “interpretation” 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.