How to Pronounce “collaboration”

American (US)

/kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/

British (UK)

/kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/

Australian (AU)

/kəˌlæbəˈɹæɪʃən/

noun — The act of collaborating.

Example: Collaboration can be a useful part of the creative process.

Where the stress falls. “collaboration” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "collaboration" mean?

collaboration (noun): The act of collaborating. For example — Collaboration can be a useful part of the creative process.

How do you pronounce "collaboration" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "collaboration", /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "collaboration"?

/kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ in American English, /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ in British English, /kəˌlæbəˈɹæɪʃən/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "collaboration"?

“collaboration” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.