-SION words
The ending -sion has two sounds: a soft zh after a vowel (decision, vision, television) and sh after a consonant (mission, tension, expression). The zh sound is rare in English and hard for many learners, resembling the s in measure. Stress falls on the syllable before the ending, as with -tion.
Accent
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The words
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Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
Schwa sound words
The most common sound in English, hiding in every unstressed syllable. Learn to hear the schwa.
US vs UK stress shifts
Adult, garage, ballet, cafe: the stressed syllable moves between accents. Hear where it lands.
-ary and -ory endings
Necessary, laboratory, secretary: Americans keep a full syllable that the British swallow.
-ED ending words
Walked, played, wanted: -ed has three sounds, T, D and ID. Learn which verb takes which.
-S ending words
Cats, dogs, buses: the plural S has three sounds. Hear when it is S, Z or IZ.
Keep practising
Browse every practice list, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.