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-TION words

The ending -tion is pronounced shun and always pulls the stress onto the syllable immediately before it: edu-CA-tion, informa-TION. The one systematic exception is -stion, as in question and suggestion, which keeps a ch sound. This is one of English's most reliable stress rules.

Accent

15 words · beginner · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

nation
education
question
information
attention
situation
construction
suggestion
relation
population
direction
competition
translation
digestion
operation

More lists like this

-SION words
Decision, mission, television: -sion is sometimes ZH, sometimes SH. Learn which is which.
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Noun and verb stress pairs
REcord or reCORD? Same spelling, stress moves with the part of speech. Hear both versions.
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-ATE ending words
Separate the adjective, separate the verb: -ate changes vowel by word class. Hear both forms.
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-ABLE and -IBLE words
Comfortable, incredible, vegetable: both endings reduce to the same weak sound. Hear it.
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-IC and -ICAL stress
Photograph, photography, photographic: the stress moves every time. Hear the whole family.
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Weak form words
To, of, and, for, can: function words that shrink to a schwa in real speech. Hear both forms.
15
Show the 15 words

Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.