How to pronounce intonation in American English

IPA /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/ Syllables 4 · ihn·tuh·nay·shuhn Stress 3rd syllable

ihn·tuh·NAY·shuhn

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Americans pronounce intonation as ihn-tuh-NAY-shuhn (/ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/). The T drops out of the cluster entirely in casual American speech. Stress falls on the third syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the silent T after N.

In "intonation", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. /t/ is completely silent — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

In "intonation", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. Schwa is absorbed — consonant becomes the syllable nucleus.

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Why it sounds different

Why "intonation" sounds like IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn.

In "intonation", the "t" right after N is dropped — the tongue skips the T stop and moves directly from the N position to the next sound. This is called the Silent T after N, a small move that separates 'classroom' from 'native'. It comes out as IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn.

In real conversation

Hear "intonation" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"I practice shadowing techniques to improve my intonation and rhythm."

ahy PRAK·tuhs SHA·doh·uhng tehk·NEEKS tuh uhm·PROOV mahy ihn·tuh·NAY·shuhn and RIH·dhuhm

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Pronouncing the silent T after N.

intonation→IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

intonation→IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the third syllable, not the others. Stretch NAY — keep everything else short and quick.

IHN·TUH·nay·SHUHN→IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

ihn·TUH·NAY·shuhn→IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "intonation" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the third syllable — say "NAY" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ihn-tuh-NAY-shuhn" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the second syllable in "intonation" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "ihn-tuh-NAY-shuhn" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "intonation" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "ihn-tuh-NAY-shuhn" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the silent T after N.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

Why "intonation" sounds like IHN·tuh·NAY·shuhn.

Hear "intonation" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the silent T after N.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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