How to Pronounce “juxtaposition”

American (US)

/ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/

British (UK)

/ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/

Australian (AU)

/ˌd͡ʒɐk.stə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/

noun — The placing of two things side by side for contrasting effect.

Example: The juxtaposition of the two photographs made the point without a caption.

Where the stress falls. “juxtaposition” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/ 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. /ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/ 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 "juxtaposition" mean?

juxtaposition (noun): The placing of two things side by side for contrasting effect. For example — The juxtaposition of the two photographs made the point without a caption.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "juxtaposition", /ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/, 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 "juxtaposition"?

/ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/ in American English, /ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/ in British English, /ˌd͡ʒɐk.stə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "juxtaposition"?

“juxtaposition” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃən/ 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.