How to pronounce fiction
Say it like FIK-shun. Fiction has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FIK).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce fiction. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FIK
- shun
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Fiction pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FIKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- shunKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of fiction
American and British speakers say fiction in essentially the same way: /ˈfɪkʃən/ in the US and /ˈfɪkʃən/ in the UK.
British respelling: FIK-shun.
What does fiction mean?
- a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
- a deliberately false or improbable account
Where does fiction come from?
From Middle English ficcioun, from Old French ficcion (“dissimulation, ruse, invention”), from Latin fictiō (“a making, fashioning, a feigning, a rhetorical or legal fiction”), from fingō (“to form, mold, shape, devise, feign”).
Words that rhyme with fiction
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of fiction.
- addiction
- conviction
- jurisdiction
- prediction
- restriction
- friction
- contradiction
- depiction
- eviction
- affliction
Questions about saying fiction
How do you pronounce fiction?
Say FIK-shun. The American pronunciation is /ˈfɪkʃən/. In British English it is /ˈfɪkʃən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in fiction?
Fiction has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FIK). Broken into parts: FIK · shun.
Do Americans and Brits say fiction the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈfɪkʃən/ and the British form is /ˈfɪkʃən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.