How to pronounce "prepositions" in EnglishVerb
ˌpɹɛ.pəˈzɪ.ʃənz
pre·pə·ZIH·shənz
Primary stress: ZIH
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No video clips indexed yet for “prepositions”
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “prepositions”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
pre
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
pə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ZIH
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
shənz
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("ZIH"). 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 "prepositions" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "prepositions is" sounds like "prepositions-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "prepositions" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Practice Speaking “prepositions”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles. 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
Hear it in context: “prepositions”
The English word “prepositions” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌpɹɛ.pəˈzɪ.ʃənz (phonetic respelling: pre-pə-ZIH-shənz). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (pre · pə · ZIH · shənz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (ZIH). Grammatically, “prepositions” functions as a noun, verb and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. Hear native speakers say prepositions in context across real video clips
Definition & Meaning: “prepositions”
- Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
- An adposition.
- Alternative spelling of pre-position.
Example Sentences (2)
- “322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles. 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.”
- “It is important to preposition the material before turning on the machine.”
Pronounce: “prepositions”
- Pronunciation:
- pre-pə-ZIH-shənz
- Syllables:
- pre · pə · ZIH · shənz
- Written Hyphenation:
- pre · po · si · tions
- Primary stress:
- ZIH
- IPA:
- ˌpɹɛ.pəˈzɪ.ʃənz
- Hear it in context
- prepositions
Words that Rhyme with “prepositions”
-ɪʃənzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"prepositions" (⁄ˌpɹɛ.pəˈzɪ.ʃənz⁄) 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, "prepositions" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about prepositions
How do you pronounce “prepositions”?
“prepositions” is pronounced ⁄ˌpɹɛ.pəˈzɪ.ʃənz⁄ (pre-pə-ZIH-shənz). Listen to the audio pronunciation above to hear it spoken clearly.
How many syllables are in “prepositions”?
“prepositions” has 4 syllables: pre · pə · ZIH · shənz.
Where is the stress in “prepositions”?
The primary stress in “prepositions” is on “ZIH”.
What does “prepositions” mean?
Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “prepositions”?
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].