How to pronounce “caution”
Caution is pronounced /ˈkɑːʃən/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — kɑː. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 2 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting kɑː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“caution” sound by sound
“caution” is built out of 5 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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kRaise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, seal the air, then release it with a puff.
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ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
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ʃPull the tongue slightly back from the /s/ position, spread the blade wide behind the ridge, round the lips a little, and push air through with no voice.
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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
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nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “caution”
Each of these differs from “caution” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “caution”
- How do you pronounce “caution”?
- “caution” is pronounced /ˈkɑːʃən/, with the stress on the first syllable (kɑː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “caution”?
- “caution” has 2 syllables: kɑː · ʃən. The stress pattern is Oo.
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