How to pronounce “nation”
Say “nation” in 2 beats
nation
/ˈneɪʃən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /neɪʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- natneɪstress
- ionʃən
- IPA (American)
- /ˈneɪʃən/
- IPA (British)
- /neɪʃən/
- Respelling
- NAY-shuhn
- Syllables
- 2 — NAT-ion
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: NAT-ion. “nat” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈneɪʃən/
/neɪʃən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “nation” means
- noun
a politically organized body of people under a single government
“the state has elected a new president”
- noun
the people who live in a nation or country
“a statement that sums up the nation's mood”
- noun
United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911)
Say it in a sentence
“The whole nation celebrated after the team won the final.”“nation”, answered
How do you pronounce “nation”?
“nation” is pronounced /ˈneɪʃən/ (NAY-shuhn) in American English and /neɪʃən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “nat”. Build it as NAT-ion, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “nation” have?
2: nat · ion. The beat lands on the first, “nat”.
Is “nation” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈneɪʃən/ (NAY-shuhn); British English says /neɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “nation” mean?
As a noun: a politically organized body of people under a single government For example: “the state has elected a new president” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “nation”?
Stress the first syllable: NAT-ion. “nat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “nation” 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.