How to pronounce “orientation”
Say “orientation” in 5 beats
orientation
/ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˌɔːɹɪənˈteɪʃən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɔɔ
- ɹiɹi
- ɛnɛn
- teɪteɪstress
- ʃənʃən
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/
- IPA (British)
- /ˌɔːɹɪənˈteɪʃən/
- Respelling
- or-ee-en-TAY-shuhn
- Syllables
- 5 — ɔ-ɹi-ɛn-TEꞮ-ʃən
- Stress
- Stress the fourth syllable: ɔ-ɹi-ɛn-TEꞮ-ʃən. “teɪ” 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
/ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/
/ˌɔːɹɪənˈteɪʃən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “orientation” goes wrong
- Often heard
“or-ee-EN-tay-shun”
the stress moves to TAY, the fourth syllable
What “orientation” means
- noun
the act of orienting
- noun
an integrated set of attitudes and beliefs
- noun
position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions
Say it in a sentence
“Orientation for new students runs over the first three days.”“orientation”, answered
How do you pronounce “orientation”?
“orientation” is pronounced /ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/ (or-ee-en-TAY-shuhn) in American English and /ˌɔːɹɪənˈteɪʃən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “teɪ”. Build it as ɔ-ɹi-ɛn-TEꞮ-ʃən, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “orientation” have?
5: ɔ · ɹi · ɛn · teɪ · ʃən. The beat lands on the fourth, “teɪ”.
Is “orientation” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/ (or-ee-en-TAY-shuhn); British English says /ˌɔːɹɪənˈteɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “orientation” mean?
As a noun: the act of orienting For example: “Orientation for new students runs over the first three days.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “orientation”?
Stress the fourth syllable: ɔ-ɹi-ɛn-TEꞮ-ʃən. “teɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “orientation” 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.