How to pronounce “observation”
Say “observation” in 4 beats
observation
/ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɒbzəveɪʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- obɑb
- serzɚ
- vatveɪstress
- ionʃən
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃən/
- IPA (British)
- /ɒbzəveɪʃən/
- Respelling
- ahb-zuh-VAY-shuhn
- Syllables
- 4 — ob-ser-VAT-ion
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: ob-ser-VAT-ion. “vat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃən/
/ɒbzəveɪʃən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “observation” means
- noun
the act of making and recording a measurement
- noun
the act of observing; taking a patient look
- noun
a remark expressing careful consideration
Say it in a sentence
“One careful observation explained the whole pattern.”“observation”, answered
How do you pronounce “observation”?
“observation” is pronounced /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃən/ (ahb-zuh-VAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɒbzəveɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vat”. Build it as ob-ser-VAT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “observation” have?
4: ob · ser · vat · ion. The beat lands on the third, “vat”.
Is “observation” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃən/ (ahb-zuh-VAY-shuhn); British English says /ɒbzəveɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “observation” mean?
As a noun: the act of making and recording a measurement For example: “One careful observation explained the whole pattern.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “observation”?
Stress the third syllable: ob-ser-VAT-ion. “vat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “observation” 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.