Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mission

“mission” is pronounced /ˈmɪʃən/ (MI-shuhn) in American English and /mɪʃən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mis”.
The sound

Say “mission” in 2 beats

Say it like this

mission

/ˈmɪʃən/

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

2 beats
  1. misstress
  2. sionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˈmɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/mɪʃən/
Respelling
MI-shuhn
Syllables
2 — MIS-sion
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MIS-sion. “mis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈmɪʃən/

British

/mɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “mission” means

  1. noun

    an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

  2. noun

    an operation that is assigned by a higher headquarters

    the planes were on a bombing mission

  3. noun

    a special assignment that is given to a person or group

    a confidential mission to London

Say it in a sentence

The charity's mission is to house families after a disaster.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

mission”, answered

How do you pronounce “mission”?

“mission” is pronounced /ˈmɪʃən/ (MI-shuhn) in American English and /mɪʃən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mis”. Build it as MIS-sion, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mission” have?

2: mis · sion. The beat lands on the first, “mis”.

Is “mission” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɪʃən/ (MI-shuhn); British English says /mɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mission” mean?

As a noun: an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work For example: “The charity's mission is to house families after a disaster.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “mission”?

Stress the first syllable: MIS-sion. “mis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mission” 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.