Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reservation

“reservation” is pronounced /ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/ (re-zuh-VAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɹɛzəveɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vat”.
The sound

Say “reservation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

reservation

/ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. resɹɛ
  2. er
  3. vatveɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/ɹɛzəveɪʃən/
Respelling
re-zuh-VAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — res-er-VAT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: res-er-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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/

British

/ɹɛzəveɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “reservation” means

  1. noun

    a district that is reserved for particular purpose

  2. noun

    a statement that limits or restricts some claim

    he recommended her without any reservations

  3. noun

    an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly

Say it in a sentence

I made a reservation for four at seven o'clock.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

reservation”, answered

How do you pronounce “reservation”?

“reservation” is pronounced /ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/ (re-zuh-VAY-shuhn) in American English and /ɹɛzəveɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vat”. Build it as res-er-VAT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reservation” have?

4: res · er · vat · ion. The beat lands on the third, “vat”.

Is “reservation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/ (re-zuh-VAY-shuhn); British English says /ɹɛzəveɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “reservation” mean?

As a noun: a district that is reserved for particular purpose For example: “I made a reservation for four at seven o'clock.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “reservation”?

Stress the third syllable: res-er-VAT-ion. “vat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “reservation” 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.