pronunciation

/prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
way of saying a word

Her pronunciation of French words is excellent.

She says French words very clearly and accurately.


neutral

The way in which a word is spoken or the way in which a language is spoken.

The pronunciation of 'schedule' varies between American and British English.

Americans say 'sked-ule' while Brits say 'shed-yool'.

She took lessons to improve her pronunciation.

She practiced speaking to sound clearer and more natural.

technical

A phonetic representation of the sounds of a word.

The dictionary provides pronunciation in IPA notation.

For example, 'hello' is written as /həˈloʊ/.

Collocations

correct pronunciationaccurate way of saying a wordpoor pronunciationunclear or incorrect way of saying a wordnative pronunciationway of speaking like a native speaker

Pro Tip

Listen and Repeat

Listen to native speakers and mimic their pronunciation to improve. Use online tools or apps that provide audio examples.

Gold Rule

Focus on Stress and Rhythm

English pronunciation relies heavily on word stress and sentence rhythm. Practice placing stress on the correct syllables in words.

Master Vowel Sounds

English has many vowel sounds that don't exist in other languages. Spend extra time practicing these sounds.

Word Origin

From Latin 'pronuntiatio(n-)', from 'pronuntiare' (to proclaim), from 'pro-' (forth) + 'nuntiare' (to announce).

Usage Notes

Pronunciation focuses on the sounds of words, while 'enunciation' emphasizes clarity and distinctness. 'Diction' refers to the choice of words and their pronunciation in speech.

Word Breakdown

pronunciation
the act of pronouncing
root
+
-ation
suffix forming nouns denoting action or result
suffix
English Dictionary