Pronunciation

How to pronounce “optimisation

“optimisation” is pronounced /ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/ (op-tuh-muh-ZAY-shuhn (UK op-tih-my-ZAY-shuhn)) in American English and /ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “optimisation” in 5 beats

Say it like this

optimisation

/ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/

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

5 beats
  1. opɑp
  2. tim
  3. is
  4. atzeɪstress
  5. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Respelling
op-tuh-muh-ZAY-shuhn (UK op-tih-my-ZAY-shuhn)
Syllables
5 — op-tim-is-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: op-tim-is-AT-ion. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/

British

/ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/

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

Watch out

Where “optimisation” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    OP-tim-ization

    the main stress is on ZAY, the fourth syllable

Meaning

What “optimisation” means

  1. noun

    the act of rendering optimal

    the simultaneous optimization of growth and profitability

Say it in a sentence

The whole project was an exercise in route optimisation.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

optimisation”, answered

How do you pronounce “optimisation”?

“optimisation” is pronounced /ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/ (op-tuh-muh-ZAY-shuhn (UK op-tih-my-ZAY-shuhn)) in American English and /ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as op-tim-is-AT-ion, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “optimisation” have?

5: op · tim · is · at · ion. The beat lands on the fourth, “at”.

Is “optimisation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɑptəməˈzeɪʃən/ (op-tuh-muh-ZAY-shuhn (UK op-tih-my-ZAY-shuhn)); British English says /ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “optimisation” mean?

As a noun: the act of rendering optimal For example: “the simultaneous optimization of growth and profitability”

Where is the stress in “optimisation”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “optimisation” 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.