3 syllables: con, fes, sion. Stress on fes.
kuhn-FESH-uhn
/kəˈnfɛʃən/
confession is pronounced kuhn-FESH-uhn (/kəˈnfɛʃən/). It has three syllables (con-fes-sion), with the stress on "fes". Confession is the act of admitting or acknowledging something, often about a wrongdoing or secret. It can also refer to a formal disclosure of beliefs or experiences. The term carries a sense of vulnerability and truth-telling, typically involving a statement made to another person or a group. In practice, it can be legal, religious, or personal in nature, emphasizing honesty and revelation.
Confession is the act of admitting or acknowledging something, often about a wrongdoing or secret. It can also refer to a formal disclosure of beliefs or experiences. The term carries a sense of vulnerability and truth-telling, typically involving a statement made to another person or a group. In practice, it can be legal, religious, or personal in nature, emphasizing honesty and revelation.
"She made a heartfelt confession to her therapist about the incident."
"The priest accepted the confession and offered forgiveness."
"In his book, the author writes a candid confession about his early life."
Pronounce it as /kənˈfɛʃn/. The stress is on the second syllable: con-FES-sion. Start with a schwa-less initial /k/ plus neutral /ə/ in unstressed portion, then /ˈfɛʃ/ in the stressed syllable, ending with a light /n/. Think “kuhn-FESH-uhn” with a quick, almost silent second 's' after /t/—not a hard /t/ sound here. For audio reference, you can compare to standard dictionaries’ pronunciation clips on Cambridge or Oxford, and practice along with native speech podcasts.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying con-FES-sion with weak stress), pronouncing the second syllable as /fɛ/ with an odd vowel, or over-articulating the 't/d' sound that doesn’t exist in the word. Correct by ensuring the /ˈfɛʃ/ cluster is crisp and the final /n/ is light, not silent. Use a quick, almost subtle /ʃ/ for the 'sh' sound, and keep the first syllable relaxed with /kən/ leading into the stressed /ˈfɛʃ/. Practice with minimal pairs and slow repetition, then speed up.
In US English, you’ll hear /kənˈfɛʃn/ with a rhotic, but the /r/ is not present here; focus on the stressed /ɛ/ and the /ʃ/ before the final /n/. In UK English, /kənˈfeʃən/ is common, with a less pronounced /ʃ/ and a weakened second syllable vowel in some speakers, giving /kənˈfeʃən/ akin to ‘feh-syun.’ Australian English mirrors UK patterns but with slight vowel vowel quality shifts due to broad vs general accents. Across all, the key is the stress on the second syllable and the /ʃ/ sound preceding the final /n/ or /ən/.
Two main challenges: the mid-front vowel in /ˈfɛ/ can be tricky for non-native speakers, and the consonant cluster /ʃn/ blends quickly into /ʃən/ across accents. The word’s stress on the second syllable also requires a clear, tense vowel in /fɛ/ without diluting it with the preceding schwa. Practice with slower tempo, exaggerating the /f/ and /ʃ/ individually before merging, and work on the seamless transition between /ʃ/ and final /n/ in connected speech.
The word contains no silent letters, but the final syllable /-sion/ often causes confusion: it’s feminine to think there is a /z/ or /ʒ/ sound. The correct sequence is /-ʃn/ (as in ‘shun’). The root 'confess' provides /fɛs/ in the stressed syllable, but the suffix -ion reduces to an /ən/ or /n/ depending on accent. Emphasize the /ʃ/ followed by a gentle /n/ for natural flow in casual speech.
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Confession comes from the Latin confession-, confessio, from the verb confiteri, meaning to admit, acknowledge, or testify. The prefix con- means together, and fateri means to say or declare. The term appears in English in the 14th century, originally in religious contexts (e.g., Catholic confession of sins). Over time, it broadened to secular contexts: a confession can be personal, legal, or literary, signaling an explicit admission or disclosure. The word underwent shifts in nuance: from formal, ritualized admissions to more candid, self-revealing disclosures in psychological, legal, or memoir writing. In modern usage, “confession” frequently implies a compelling honesty, sometimes with vulnerability or guilt, and often precedes or follows an admission in narrative or legal proceedings. First known use in English is attested in the 14th century, with continued evolution alongside related terms such as confess, confessionary, and confessee, reflecting the enduring human interest in truth-telling and accountability.
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Words that rhyme with "confession"
-ion sounds
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