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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “legislation”

“legislation” is pronounced /ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/ (le-juh-SLAY-shuhn) in American English and /lɛdʒɪsleɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lat”.
The sound

Say “legislation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

legislation

/ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. leglɛ
  2. isdʒə
  3. latsleɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/lɛdʒɪsleɪʃən/
Respelling
le-juh-SLAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — leg-is-LAT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: leg-is-LAT-ion. “lat” 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

/ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/

British

/lɛdʒɪsleɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “legislation” means

  1. noun

    law enacted by a legislative body

  2. noun

    the act of making or enacting laws

Say it in a sentence

“New legislation on rented housing comes into force in April.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ll×2ɛshort edʒjəschwa×2sseɪlong aʃshnn

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

Questions

“legislation”, answered

How do you pronounce “legislation”?

“legislation” is pronounced /ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/ (le-juh-SLAY-shuhn) in American English and /lɛdʒɪsleɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lat”. Build it as leg-is-LAT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “legislation” have?

4: leg · is · lat · ion. The beat lands on the third, “lat”.

Is “legislation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/ (le-juh-SLAY-shuhn); British English says /lɛdʒɪsleɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “legislation” mean?

As a noun: law enacted by a legislative body For example: “New legislation on rented housing comes into force in April.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “legislation”?

Stress the third syllable: leg-is-LAT-ion. “lat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “legislation” and see every sound

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