How to pronounce "obstination" in English
ob·sti·na·tion
Hear native speakers say obstination in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “obstination”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ob
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
sti
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
na
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
tion
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
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 "obstination" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "obstination is" sounds like "obstination-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "obstination" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Shifts primary stress to the syllable immediately preceding "-tion".
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“so let me ask is the obstination of prolonging”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“I I think I have a lot of obstination so I go on and”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “obstination”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
so let me ask is the obstination of prolonging
Hear it in context: “obstination”
2 clipsThe English word “obstination”. Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (ob · sti · na · tion). Grammatically, “obstination” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 2 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “obstination” in natural connected speech across American (US: 2 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (2 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @2:27
“for a longer life had brought more suffering than happiness to my uncle so let me ask is the obstination of prolonging mortality always the best outcome”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @13:17
“challenges and then I don't but then I I think I have a lot of obstination so I go on and on and ahead and sometimes it works but it's a”
Definition & Meaning: “obstination”
- stubbornness
Example Sentences (2)
- “so let me ask is the obstination of prolonging”
- “I I think I have a lot of obstination so I go on and”
Pronounce: “obstination”
- Syllables:
- ob · sti · na · tion
- Hear it in context
- obstination
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"obstination" 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, "obstination" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about obstination
How many syllables are in “obstination”?
“obstination” has 4 syllables: ob · sti · na · tion.
What does “obstination” mean?
stubbornness
How can I hear “obstination” used in real sentences?
This page has 2 real-world video examples of “obstination” 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 “obstination”?
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].