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Why "pronunciation" sounds different in British English
The British pronunciation is /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn/. The second syllable has the /ʌ/ vowel of "nun" and "cup", and the spelling matches: pro-nun-ciation. Learners often write and say "pronounciation", borrowing the "ow" vowel of the verb "pronounce" /prəˈnaʊns/. The noun and verb simply have different vowels.
Stress is the other key. The main stress falls on "AY", with a lighter secondary stress on "nun": pruh-nun-see-AY-shuhn. The first syllable is a weak "pruh". The word is pronounced the same way in British and American English, so the challenge is the vowel and the stress, not the accent.
How to say "pronunciation" like a Brit, step by step
- Start with a weak pruh.
- Say nun, as in a nun, not "noun".
- Add see, then the stressed AY.
- Finish with a soft shuhn: pruh-nun-see-AY-shuhn.
Practise "pronunciation" in a sentence
- Her pronunciation has improved enormously since she moved to Bristol.
- Could you check my pronunciation of these place names?
- British pronunciation can vary a lot from town to town.
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce pronunciation in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, pronunciation is pronounced /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn/, roughly "pruh-nun-see-AY-shuhn". Say pruh-nun-see-AY-shuhn: "nun", not "noun", with the main stress on AY.
Is the American pronunciation of pronunciation wrong?
No. /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn/.
Why is it pronunciation and not pronounciation?
Because the noun and the verb have different vowels. The verb pronounce has the "ow" sound of "noun", but the noun pronunciation has the vowel of "nun", and its spelling reflects that. Pronounciation is a common misspelling and mispronunciation.