How to pronounce "decaffeination" in English
diːˌkæfiːˈneɪʃən
dee·ka·fee·NAY·shən
Primary stress: NAY
Hear native speakers say decaffeination in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “decaffeination”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
dee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ka
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
fee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
NAY
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
shən
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the fourth syllable ("NAY"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "decaffeination" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "decaffeination is" sounds like "decaffeination-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "decaffeination" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Shifts primary stress to the syllable immediately preceding "-tion".
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Those don't need decaffeination and they'll have way, way lower levels of caffeine than normal coffee.”— WIREDWatch clip
“But in a decaffeination plant, the CO2 can be reused multiple times.”— SciShowWatch clip
Practice Speaking “decaffeination”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Those don't need decaffeination and they'll have way, way lower levels of caffeine than normal coffee.
Hear it in context: “decaffeination”
2 clipsThe English word “decaffeination” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as diːˌkæfiːˈneɪʃən (phonetic respelling: dee-ka-fee-NAY-shən). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (dee · ka · fee · NAY · shən), with primary lexical stress placed on the 4th syllable (NAY). Grammatically, “decaffeination” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 2 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “decaffeination” in natural connected speech across American (US: 2 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from WIRED, SciShow.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (2 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #1 · @2:15
“And so keep an eye out for those. Those don't need decaffeination and they'll have way, way lower levels of caffeine than normal coffee. and they'll have way, way lower levels of caffeine”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #2 · @3:09
“After all, CO2 in the atmosphere is what’s responsible for climate change. But in a decaffeination plant, the CO2 can be reused multiple times. And since it’s extracted from the air in the first place,”
Definition & Meaning: “decaffeination”
- The removal of caffeine.
Example Sentences (3)
- “While Karson and I rested under a tree, I thought of all the things I’d tried, without success, to quell my fears: extreme exercise, decaffeination, deep breathing, blue-green algae.”
- “Those don't need decaffeination and they'll have way, way lower levels of caffeine than normal coffee.”
- “But in a decaffeination plant, the CO2 can be reused multiple times.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “decaffeination”
- Pronunciation:
- dee-ka-fee-NAY-shən
- Syllables:
- dee · ka · fee · NAY · shən
- Written Hyphenation:
- de · caf · fei · na · tion
- Primary stress:
- NAY
- IPA:
- diːˌkæfiːˈneɪʃən
- Hear it in context
- decaffeination
Words that Rhyme with “decaffeination”
-eɪʃənWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"decaffeination" (⁄diːˌkæfiːˈneɪʃən⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "decaffeination" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about decaffeination
How do you pronounce “decaffeination”?
“decaffeination” is pronounced ⁄diːˌkæfiːˈneɪʃən⁄ (dee-ka-fee-NAY-shən). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “decaffeination”?
“decaffeination” has 5 syllables: dee · ka · fee · NAY · shən.
Where is the stress in “decaffeination”?
The primary stress in “decaffeination” is on “NAY”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “decaffeination” mean?
The removal of caffeine.
How can I hear “decaffeination” used in real sentences?
This page has 2 real-world video examples of “decaffeination” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “decaffeination”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].