Pronunciation

How to pronounce “transportation

“transportation” is pronounced /ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/ (tran-spuh-TAY-shuhn) in American English and /tɹanspɔːteɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “tat”.
The sound

Say “transportation” in 4 beats

Say it like this

transportation

/ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/

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

4 beats
  1. transtɹæn
  2. porspɚ
  3. tatteɪstress
  4. ionʃən
IPA (American)
/ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/
IPA (British)
/tɹanspɔːteɪʃən/
Respelling
tran-spuh-TAY-shuhn
Syllables
4 — trans-por-TAT-ion
Stress
Stress the third syllable: trans-por-TAT-ion. “tat” 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

/ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/

British

/tɹanspɔːteɪʃən/

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

Meaning

What “transportation” means

  1. noun

    a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods

  2. noun

    the act of moving something from one location to another

  3. noun

    the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance

Say it in a sentence

Public transportation here stops running just after ten.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

transportation”, answered

How do you pronounce “transportation”?

“transportation” is pronounced /ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/ (tran-spuh-TAY-shuhn) in American English and /tɹanspɔːteɪʃən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “tat”. Build it as trans-por-TAT-ion, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “transportation” have?

4: trans · por · tat · ion. The beat lands on the third, “tat”.

Is “transportation” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌtɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/ (tran-spuh-TAY-shuhn); British English says /tɹanspɔːteɪʃən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “transportation” mean?

As a noun: a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods For example: “Public transportation here stops running just after ten.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “transportation”?

Stress the third syllable: trans-por-TAT-ion. “tat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “transportation” and see every sound

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