How to pronounce inflection
Say it like in-FLEK-shun. Inflection has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (FLEK).
- in
- FLEK
- shun
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Inflection pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- inGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- FLEKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- shunKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of inflection
American and British speakers say inflection in essentially the same way: /ˌɪnˈflɛkʃən/ in the US and /ɪnˈflɛkʃən/ in the UK.
British respelling: in-FLEK-shun.
What does inflection mean?
- The linguistic phenomenon of morphological variation, whereby words take a number of distinct forms in order to express different grammatical features.“In English, word order often does the work that inflection did in Latin.”
- Any specific type of morphological variation, which applies to a given word class.“The second-person imperative is a verbal inflection found in many Indo-European languages.”
- An affix representing a given variation.“English's regular inflection for number in plural nouns is the suffix -s.”
Where does inflection come from?
From older inflexion, borrowed from Middle French inflexion, itself borrowed from Latin inflexiōnem (“alteration”, literally “bending”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- flection
- flexion
- inflexion
- prosody
- modulation
Words that rhyme with inflection
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of inflection.
Questions about saying inflection
How do you pronounce inflection?
Say in-FLEK-shun. The American pronunciation is /ˌɪnˈflɛkʃən/. In British English it is /ɪnˈflɛkʃən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in inflection?
Inflection has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (FLEK). Broken into parts: in · FLEK · shun.
Do Americans and Brits say inflection the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˌɪnˈflɛkʃən/ and the British form is /ɪnˈflɛkʃən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.