3 syllables: col, li, sions. Stress on li.
kuh-LIZH-uhnz
/kəˈlɪʒənz/
collisions is pronounced kuh-LIZH-uhnz (/kəˈlɪʒənz/). It has three syllables (col-li-sions), with the stress on "li". Collisions refers to events where two or more objects, particles, or people come into forceful contact or crash into one another. In physics or science contexts, “collisions” describes interactions between bodies; in everyday speech it can describe accidents or unexpected impacts. The plural form implies multiple such events or instances. Its stress pattern is on the second syllable: col-LI-sions.
Collisions refers to events where two or more objects, particles, or people come into forceful contact or crash into one another. In physics or science contexts, “collisions” describes interactions between bodies; in everyday speech it can describe accidents or unexpected impacts. The plural form implies multiple such events or instances. Its stress pattern is on the second syllable: col-LI-sions.
- You’ll often overemphasize the first syllable or flatten the middle vowel. Try to keep the middle /ɪ/ crisp and the /ʒ/ voiced; the final /ənz/ should be a quick, soft cadence, not a heavy ending. - Don’t glide from /l/ to /ɪ/ with extra lip tension; keep a relaxed jaw for the schwa in the first syllable. - Avoid pronouncing the word as /ˈkɒlɪdʒənz/ (with a /dʒ/ instead of /ʒ/); practice the correct /ʒ/ sound before the /ənz/ to avoid mis-sounding like ‘collid-ions.’ - In rapid speech, the unstressed first syllable often reduces to /kə/; ensure you don’t lose the stress marker on LI. - Finally, ensure voicing for the final s is consistent; you want a voiced /z/, not a voiceless /s/ in most registers.
"Traffic collisions can be costly in terms of safety and property."
"Nandor’s experiments studied elastic and inelastic collisions in a controlled environment."
"The museum reported several collisions of sculptures during the earthquake."
You pronounce it as /kəˈlɪʒənz/ in US English, with three syllables: col-LI-sions. The second syllable carries primary stress. In UK English it’s /ˈkɒlɪʒənz/ with a slightly shorter, more open first vowel. In Australian English it’s /ˈkɒlɪzɪənz/ or /ˈkɒlɪʒənz/ depending on speaker. Focus on the /lɪ/ vowel cluster and the soft /ʒ/ sound before the final /ənz/. For clarity: k as in ‘cat’, /ə/ as the schwa, /ˈlɪ/ as LI, /ʒənz/ as zhunz.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress, saying col-LI-sions with stress on the first syllable; (2) Pronouncing the middle vowel as /iː/ instead of /ɪ/ (like ‘col-lee-zhuns’); (3) Ending with a hard /s/ instead of /z/ in final segment due to voicing; (4) Blending the /l/ and /ɪ/ into a dull onset. Corrections: keep secondary vowel as /ɪ/ in LI and voice the final /z/ as /z/ rather than /s/; clearly articulate the /ʒ/ in the middle; practice with minimal pairs: ‘collide’ vs ‘collision’ to hear the shift.
US: /kəˈlɪʒənz/ with reduced first syllable and rhotic pitch; UK: /ˈkɒlɪzjənz/ or /ˈkɒlɪʒənz/ with non-rhotic /r/ absence and a crisper /ʒ/; AU: often /ˈkɒlɪzɪənz/ or /ˈkɒlɪʒənz/, with vowel quality closer to /ɒ/ and the final -s often voiced. The presence of rhoticity in US affects the vowel quality of the first syllable; the UK tends to a shorter, tighter /ɒ/ and sometimes a glided /j/ before the -ənz. Listen for whether the /ɪ/ is lax and the /z/ is voiced.
Key challenges: the /ˈlɪ/ sequence is a short, quick leap from the /l/ to the /ɪ/ vowel, requiring precise tongue height; the /ʒ/ sound before /ənz/ is a voiced fricative not common in all languages; the final /ənz/ blends a schwa with a voiced /z/ that can be misarticulated as /s/ or /z/ depending on context; and maintaining light syllable timing to keep the middle stressed syllable prominent without elongating vowels.
A distinctive feature is the middle consonant-vowel cluster /lɪ/ followed by /ʒ/; many learners misread it as /lɪdʒ/ or /lɪʃənz/. The correct sequence is /lɪʒ/ with a voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/ blending into the -ənz suffix. You can feel a tiny ring of air as you vocalize the /ʒ/ prior to the /ənz/. This helps differentiate from similar words like ‘collisions’ vs ‘collisions’ in different contexts.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity and reduce the first syllable; ensure the /ɪ/ is lax and the /ʒ/ is voiced. - UK: keep a crisper /ɒ/ in the first syllable, with a slightly rounded lip shape for /ɒ/; the /ʒ/ should be softer, almost like /j/ plus /ʒ/ bleed. - AU: tends to a broader /ɒ/ and sometimes an extra schwa before the suffix; the final /ənz/ remains a voiced /z/. IPA reminders: US /kəˈlɪʒənz/, UK /ˈkɒlɪʒənz/, AU /ˈkɒlɪzɪənz/.
Collision derives from the Latin collisio, from the verb collide, from com- 'together' + laedere 'to strike, wound'. The Latin collisio described a beating or striking together, later adopted into French as collision and into English in the early Modern period. The suffix -ion marks noun formation, and -s marks plural. The earliest English usage appears in the 15th century with scientific and martial senses, gradually broadening to include any two bodies in contact. Throughout the 17th–19th centuries, collision increasingly described not only physical impact but also figurative clashes (ideological collisions, etc.), mirroring a growing vocabulary around motion, force, and interaction. The word is now pervasive in physics, engineering, traffic reporting, sports, and everyday language, retaining its core sense of two or more entities forced into contact with momentum or energy exchange. Its pronunciation has stabilized in English-speaking communities, with primary stress on the second syllable and a short vowel in the first: /kɒˈlɪʒənz/ (UK) and /kəˈlɪʒənz/ (US).
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