Pronunciation

How to pronounce “situation

“situation” is pronounced /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ (si-choo-AY-shuhn) in American English and /sɪtʃuːeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “eɪ”.
The sound

Say “situation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

situation

/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. tʃutʃu
  2. stress
  3. ʃənʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/sɪtʃuːeɪʃən/
Respelling
si-choo-AY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — sɪ-tʃu-EꞮ-ʃən
Stress
Stress the third syllable: sɪ-tʃu-EꞮ-ʃən. “eɪ” 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

/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/

British

/sɪtʃuːeɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “situation” means

  1. noun

    the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; ; ; - Franklin D.Roosevelt

    the present international situation is dangerous

  2. noun

    a condition or position in which you find yourself

    the unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils

  3. noun

    a complex or critical or unusual difficulty

    the dangerous situation developed suddenly

Say it in a sentence

The manager handled the situation calmly and quickly.
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

situation”, answered

How do you pronounce “situation”?

“situation” is pronounced /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ (si-choo-AY-shuhn) in American English and /sɪtʃuːeɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “eɪ”. Build it as sɪ-tʃu-EꞮ-ʃən, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “situation” have?

4: sɪ · tʃu · eɪ · ʃən. The beat lands on the third, “eɪ”.

Is “situation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ (si-choo-AY-shuhn); British English says /sɪtʃuːeɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “situation” mean?

As a noun: the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; ; ; - Franklin D.Roosevelt For example: “the present international situation is dangerous” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “situation”?

Stress the third syllable: sɪ-tʃu-EꞮ-ʃən. “eɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “situation” and see every sound

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