Trap 8 of 22 · French speakers
-tion says SHUN: nation, information, question
-tion se dit « shun » : nation, information, question
What French speakers do
You say the French ending -sion / -tion with a nasal vowel and stress on it: na-SYOHN, in-for-ma-SYOHN.
The American rule
-tion = -shun, unstressed, no nasal vowel. The stress falls on the syllable just before it. After S, -stion = -schun. -sion after a vowel = -zhun.
Hundreds of English words end in -tion, and almost all of them exist in French. Three rules cover nearly every one:
- -tion → -shun. Short and weak: nation = NAY-shun.
- Stress the syllable before it. in-for-MA-tion, con-ver-SA-tion, de-CI-sion. This rule has almost no exceptions — it's the most reliable stress rule in English.
- After S, it's -chun: question = KWES-chun, suggestion = sug-JES-chun.
And -sion after a vowel is the softer -zhun: decision = dih-SIZH-un, television = TEL-uh-vizh-un.
The words
nation
/ˈneɪʃən/
✗na-SYOHN
✓NAY-shun
“The whole nation was watching.”
information
/ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən/
✗an-for-ma-SYOHN
✓in-fer-MAY-shun
“Thanks for the information.”
attention
/əˈtɛnʃən/
✗a-tan-SYOHN
✓uh-TEN-shun
“Can I have your attention, please?”
conversation
/ˌkɑnvɚˈseɪʃən/
✗kon-ver-sa-SYOHN
✓kahn-ver-SAY-shun
“We had a long conversation.”
station
/ˈsteɪʃən/
✗sta-SYOHN
✓STAY-shun
“Meet me at the station.”
position
/pəˈzɪʃən/
✗po-zi-SYOHN
✓puh-ZISH-un
“She applied for the position.”
solution
/səˈluʃən/
✗so-lü-SYOHN
✓suh-LOO-shun
“We need a better solution.”
profession
/prəˈfɛʃən/
✗pro-fé-SYOHN
✓pruh-FESH-un
“Teaching is a great profession.”
question
/ˈkwɛstʃən/
✗kes-TYOHN
✓KWES-chun
Starts with KW, not K.
“Can I ask you a question?”
suggestion
/səɡˈdʒɛstʃən/
✗sug-zhes-TYOHN
✓sug-JES-chun
“That's a good suggestion.”
decision
/dɪˈsɪʒən/
✗dé-si-ZYOHN
✓dih-SIZH-un
“It was a hard decision.”
television
/ˈtɛləˌvɪʒən/
✗té-lé-vi-ZYOHN
✓TEL-uh-vizh-un
“We don't watch much television.”
occasion
/əˈkeɪʒən/
✗o-ka-ZYOHN
✓uh-KAY-zhun
“It's a special occasion.”