Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 527 of 545 · The stress trap
How to pronounce intonation
/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/ British English
in·tə·NAY·shən
4 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the third one.
✗ Many people say
in·TO·na·tion
✓ Say
in·tə·NAY·shən
My tip
Words ending in -tion stress the beat just before: in-tə-NAY-shən.
In a sentence
Good intonation makes you sound friendly.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: in-tə-NAY-shən.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce intonation?
In British English, intonation is pronounced /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/. Say it like this: in-tə-NAY-shən. Words ending in -tion stress the beat just before: in-tə-NAY-shən.
How many syllables are in intonation?
When you say it, intonation has 4 syllables: in-tə-NAY-shən. The strong beat is the third one, NAY.
More words like this: the stress trap
Practise these sounds
- The schwa, /ə/The small, weak sound in this word. It’s one of the 4 sounds you can practise completely free in my Sound Atlas.
- The strong beat: /eɪ/ as in “day”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Word stress setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
- More gamesFive of my English games are free to play.