Pronunciation

How to pronounce “intonation

“intonation” is pronounced /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/ (in-tuh-NAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪntəneɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “intonation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

intonation

/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. ton
  3. atneɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪntəneɪʃən/
Respelling
in-tuh-NAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — in-ton-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: in-ton-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/

British

/ɪntəneɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “intonation” means

  1. noun

    rise and fall of the voice pitch

  2. noun

    singing by a soloist of the opening piece of plainsong

  3. noun

    the act of singing in a monotonous tone

Say it in a sentence

Rising intonation at the end can turn a statement into a question.
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

intonation”, answered

How do you pronounce “intonation”?

“intonation” is pronounced /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/ (in-tuh-NAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪntəneɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as in-ton-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “intonation” have?

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

Is “intonation” said differently in British English?

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

What does “intonation” mean?

As a noun: rise and fall of the voice pitch For example: “Rising intonation at the end can turn a statement into a question.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “intonation”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “intonation” and see every sound

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