How to Pronounce Civilization

To pronounce "civilization", say civ-il-iz-AT-ion — 5 syllables, IPA /ˌsɪvəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

civilization

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.

Speed

Syllable by syllable — tap each one

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying civilization, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

5

Syllables

12

Letters

/ˌsɪvəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/

IPA

💡 Tip for remembering “civilization”

Break "civilization" into 5 beats and lean on "AT" — that's the stressed one.

What does civilization mean?

noun

  1. An organized culture encompassing many communities, often on the scale of a nation or a people; a stage or system of social, political, or technical development.
  2. Human society, particularly civil society.

proper noun

  1. Collectively, those people and places of the world considered to have a high standard of behavior and / or a high level of development. Commonly subjectively used by people of one society to exclusively refer to their society, or their elite sub-group, or a few associated societies, implying all others, in time or geography or status, as something less than civilised, as savages or barbarians. (Compare refinement, elitism, civilised society, the Civilised World.

Keep practicing

Related pages on PronounceIt, chosen from what we know about this word.

Train the contrast: light vs right, berry vs very

Sounds worth drilling for a word spelled like this:

/l/ — l/v/ — v/ə/ — schwa

Read next: How to Count Syllables in English

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce "civilization"?▾

To pronounce "civilization", say civ-il-iz-AT-ion — 5 syllables, IPA /ˌsɪvəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

How many syllables are in "civilization"?▾

"Civilization" has 5 syllables: civ · il · iz · at · ion.

What is the IPA transcription of "civilization"?▾

The IPA transcription of "civilization" is /ˌsɪvəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/.

What does "civilization" mean?▾

Civilization: An organized culture encompassing many communities, often on the scale of a nation or a people; a stage or system of social, political, or technical development.

Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?

Open “civilization” in the full dictionary →