How to pronounce pollution in American English
Americans pronounce pollution as puh-LOO-shuhn (/pəˈluʃən/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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Why "pollution" sounds like puh·LOO·shuhn.
In "pollution", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. This is called the Silent Schwa Before L/M/N/R, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as puh·LOO·shuhn.
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Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.
In "pollution", 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.
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch LOO — keep everything else short and quick.
Pronouncing the first 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.
Questions people ask about this.
How is "pollution" stressed in American English?
Why does the first syllable in "pollution" reduce to "uh"?
Is the American pronunciation of "pollution" different from British English?
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