Pronunciation

How to pronounce “investigation

“investigation” is pronounced /ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/ (in-ve-stuh-GAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnvɛstɪɡeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “investigation” in 5 beats

Say it like this

investigation

/ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/

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

5 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. ves
  3. tigstə
  4. atɡeɪstress
  5. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɪnvɛstɪɡeɪʃən/
Respelling
in-ve-stuh-GAY-shuhn
Syllables
5 — in-ves-tig-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: in-ves-tig-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/

British

/ɪnvɛstɪɡeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “investigation” means

  1. noun

    an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities

    there was a congressional probe into the scandal

  2. noun

    the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically

Say it in a sentence

The investigation into the missing tools took three weeks.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

investigation”, answered

How do you pronounce “investigation”?

“investigation” is pronounced /ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/ (in-ve-stuh-GAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɪnvɛstɪɡeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as in-ves-tig-AT-ion, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “investigation” have?

5: in · ves · tig · at · ion. The beat lands on the fourth, “at”.

Is “investigation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˌvɛstəˈɡeɪʃən/ (in-ve-stuh-GAY-shuhn); British English says /ɪnvɛstɪɡeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “investigation” mean?

As a noun: an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities For example: “there was a congressional probe into the scandal” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “investigation”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “investigation” 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.