How to pronounce “collaboration”
Collaboration is pronounced /kəˌlæbərˈeɪʃən/. It has 5 syllables, and the beat falls on the fourth one — eɪ. 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 5 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 eɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oōoOo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“collaboration” sound by sound
“collaboration” is built out of 10 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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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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lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
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æDrop the jaw noticeably, push the front of the tongue low and forward, and spread the lips — it is a flat, bright, fairly long American vowel.
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bPress both lips together and release them while the vocal folds are already vibrating, with no puff of air.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
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eɪStart at the /e/ position and glide upward and forward toward /ɪ/ — the jaw closes as you say it.
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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.
Words that rhyme with “collaboration”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “collaboration”
- How do you pronounce “collaboration”?
- “collaboration” is pronounced /kəˌlæbərˈeɪʃən/, with the stress on the fourth syllable (eɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “collaboration”?
- “collaboration” has 5 syllables: kə · læ · bər · eɪ · ʃən. The stress pattern is oōoOo.
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