3 syllables: ag, gress, ion. Stress on gress.
uh-GRESH-uhn
/əˈɡɹɛʃən/
aggression is pronounced uh-GRESH-uhn (/əˈɡɹɛʃən/). It has three syllables (ag-gress-ion), with the stress on "gress". Aggression refers to hostile or violent behavior or attitudes aimed at dominating or harming others. It often implies intentional force or assertiveness beyond normal competition, and can manifest verbally, physically, or symbolically. In psychology and everyday use, it ranges from overt acts to covert, reactive forms of hostility, influenced by context and individual differences.
Aggression refers to hostile or violent behavior or attitudes aimed at dominating or harming others. It often implies intentional force or assertiveness beyond normal competition, and can manifest verbally, physically, or symbolically. In psychology and everyday use, it ranges from overt acts to covert, reactive forms of hostility, influenced by context and individual differences.
"Her aggression toward her opponent surprised the crowd but was quickly checked by the referee."
"The country warned of economic aggression if sanctions continued."
"His aggression in meetings often masked his underlying insecurity and need for control."
Pronounce as /əˈɡrɛʃən/. The stress falls on the second syllable: a-GRESS-ion. Start with a light schwa in the first syllable, then a clear /ɡr/ onset, /ɛ/ as in ‘dress’, and end with /ən/. In rapid speech, the final /ən/ can be lightly reduced. Audio reference: you can compare with /ˌæɡrəˈʃɛn/ in some dialects, but standard is /əˈɡrɛʃən/ with two syllables after the initial weak vowel.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying ag-GRESS-tion with wrong emphasis) and producing /ˈæɡrəˌʃen/ or /æˈɡreʃən/ instead of /əˈɡrɛʃən/. Another trap is pronouncing the /ʃ/ as /s/ or /tʃ/. Correction: keep the /ɡr/ cluster intact, use a reduced initial schwa, and ensure the /ʃ/ follows the /ɛ/ vowel smoothly: /əˈɡrɛʃən/.
US, UK, and AU share /əˈɡrɛʃən/ but differ in rhotics and vowel length. US often keeps a more centered /ɚ/ in some syllables; UK tends to a crisper /ɪ/ and non-rhoticity with a tamer /r/ awareness; AU mirrors UK with non-rhotic tendencies but may feature subtle vowel broadening in /ɑː/ variants in some speakers. Overall, the core is /əˈɡrɛʃən/ with minor vowel shifts.
The difficulty centers on the stressed /ɛ/ in /ˈ/ second syllable and the consonant cluster /ɡr/ after a reduced first syllable, plus the /ʃ/ sound leading into /ən/. Learners often insert an extra syllable or misplace stress, and may struggle with blending /ɡr/ with /ʃ/. Focus on a light, quick /ə/ before /ɡr/ and a crisp /ʃ/ followed by /ən/.
There are no silent letters in the standard pronunciation of aggression. All letters contribute to phonemes: a (schwa), g, r, e (as /ɛ/), s, s, i (as /ɪ/ in some analyses or schwa), o (as /ən/), n. The spelling aligns closely with spoken /əˈɡrɛʃən/, and the final -ion is pronounced as /ən/ in most dialects.
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Aggression comes from the Latin aggressio(n-), from aggredi 'to approach, attack,' itself from ad- 'toward' + gradi 'to go'. The term entered English via late Latin and Old French, consolidating in the 16th–17th centuries to mean a forward or attacking action. In early usage, aggression carried legal or military connotations of assault or occupation. By the 19th and 20th centuries, psychology adopted aggression to discuss behavioral tendencies not strictly criminal, differentiating it from mere assertiveness. The word’s semantic arc moved from a general sense of approach or onset toward a more specific emphasis on hostile, often intentional force. Across languages, aggression is tied to notions of threat, challenge, and the intent to dominate, though social norms shape how it is expressed and perceived in different cultures.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "aggression" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "aggression"
-ion sounds
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