sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “protection”

“protection” is pronounced /pɹəˈtɛkʃən/ (pruh-TEK-shuhn) in American English and /pɹətɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ec”.
The sound

Say “protection” in 3 beats

Say it like this

protection

/pɹəˈtɛkʃən/

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

3 beats
  1. protpɹə
  2. ectɛkstress
  3. tionʃən
IPA (American)
/pɹəˈtɛkʃən/
IPA (British)
/pɹətɛkʃən/
Respelling
pruh-TEK-shuhn
Syllables
3 — prot-EC-tion
Stress
Stress the second syllable: prot-EC-tion. “ec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/pɹəˈtɛkʃən/

British

/pɹətɛkʃən/

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

Meaning

What “protection” means

  1. noun

    the activity of protecting someone or something

    “the witnesses demanded police protection”

  2. noun

    a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury

    “they had no protection from the fallout”

  3. noun

    defense against financial failure; financial independence

    “his pension gave him security in his old age”

Say it in a sentence

“The helmet offers extra protection during the ride.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ppɹrəschwa×2ttɛshort ekkʃshnn

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“protection”, answered

How do you pronounce “protection”?

“protection” is pronounced /pɹəˈtɛkʃən/ (pruh-TEK-shuhn) in American English and /pɹətɛkʃən/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ec”. Build it as prot-EC-tion, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “protection” have?

3: prot · ec · tion. The beat lands on the second, “ec”.

Is “protection” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pɹəˈtɛkʃən/ (pruh-TEK-shuhn); British English says /pɹətɛkʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “protection” mean?

As a noun: the activity of protecting someone or something For example: “the witnesses demanded police protection” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “protection”?

Stress the second syllable: prot-EC-tion. “ec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “protection” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with P