Pronunciation

How to pronounce “preparation

“preparation” is pronounced /ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/ (pre-puh-AY-shuhn) in American English and /pɹɛpəɹeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “preparation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

preparation

/ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. preppɹɛ
  2. ar
  3. atstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/pɹɛpəɹeɪʃən/
Respelling
pre-puh-AY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — prep-ar-AT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: prep-ar-AT-ion. “at” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/

British

/pɹɛpəɹeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “preparation” means

  1. noun

    the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose

    preparations for the ceremony had begun

  2. noun

    a substance prepared according to a formula

    the physician prescribed a commercial preparation of the medicine

  3. noun

    the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening

    his planning for retirement was hindered by several uncertainties

Say it in a sentence

Good preparation removes most of the fear of speaking.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

preparation”, answered

How do you pronounce “preparation”?

“preparation” is pronounced /ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/ (pre-puh-AY-shuhn) in American English and /pɹɛpəɹeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as prep-ar-AT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “preparation” have?

4: prep · ar · at · ion. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “preparation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌpɹɛpɚˈeɪʃən/ (pre-puh-AY-shuhn); British English says /pɹɛpəɹeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “preparation” mean?

As a noun: the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose For example: “preparations for the ceremony had begun” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “preparation”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “preparation” and see every sound

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