How to pronounce suppletion
Say it like suh-PLEE-shun. Suppletion has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (PLEE).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce suppletion. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- suh
- PLEE
- shun
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Suppletion pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- suhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- PLEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- shunKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of suppletion
American and British speakers say suppletion in essentially the same way: /səˈpliʃən/ in the US and /səˈpliːʃən/ in the UK.
British respelling: suh-PLEE-shun.
What does suppletion mean?
- The supplying of something lacking.
- The use of an unrelated word or phrase to supply inflected forms otherwise lacking, e.g. using “to be able” as the infinitive of “can”, or “better” as the comparative of “good”, or “went” as the simple past of “go”.
- More loosely, the use of unrelated (or distantly related) words for semantically related words which may not share the same lexical category, such as father/paternal or cow/bovine, normally referred to as collateral adjectives.
Where does suppletion come from?
From German Suppletivwesen, from Latin supplēre (“to supply”), perfect stem supplet-, + -ion.
Words that rhyme with suppletion
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of suppletion.
Questions about saying suppletion
How do you pronounce suppletion?
Say suh-PLEE-shun. The American pronunciation is /səˈpliʃən/. In British English it is /səˈpliːʃən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in suppletion?
Suppletion has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (PLEE). Broken into parts: suh · PLEE · shun.
Do Americans and Brits say suppletion the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /səˈpliʃən/ and the British form is /səˈpliːʃən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.