4 syllables: Con, sul, ta, tion. Stress on ta.
kahn-suhl-TAY-shuhn
/ˌkɑnsəˈlteɪʃən/
Consultation is pronounced kahn-suhl-TAY-shuhn (/ˌkɑnsəˈlteɪʃən/). It has four syllables (Con-sul-ta-tion), with the stress on "ta". Consultation is a formal meeting or discussion with a professional to seek advice, information, or a plan of action. It involves evaluating needs, asking questions, and exchanging expert opinions to guide decisions. The term often implies a structured, advisory context rather than casual conversation.
nounConsultation is a formal meeting or discussion with a professional to seek advice, information, or a plan of action. It involves evaluating needs, asking questions, and exchanging expert opinions to guide decisions. The term often implies a structured, advisory context rather than casual conversation.
"She booked a consultation with her doctor to review test results."
"The lawyer offered a free initial consultation to discuss the case."
"The consultant provided a consultation on implementing new software across departments."
Pronounce as /kənˌsəlˈteɪʃn̩/ in US and UK; in Australia you’ll hear similar timing: /kənˌsəlˈteɪʃən/ with the final syllable often a syllabic n. The primary stress is on the third syllable - ta-tion, with secondary stress on the second syllable in many rapid speech patterns. Begin with a soft, neutral 'con' /kən/, move to the unstressed 'sul' /səl/; then strong stress on 'teɪ' /teɪ/ followed by the '-ʃn̩' /-ʃn̩/ nasal cluster. Audio reference: imagine saying “con-SUL-tei-tion.”
Common errors include misplacing the stress (e.g., con-SUL-ta-tion) and mispronouncing the 'tion' ending as /ʃən/ instead of /-tʃən/ or /-ʃn̩/. Another frequent issue is making the middle syllable too strong or reducing it to /səl/ without the clear /ˈteɪ/ vowel. Correction: emphasize /ˈteɪ/ in the third syllable, keep /səl/ unstressed, and end with a light nasal /n̩/ for natural rhythm. Practice by segmenting: /kən/ + /ˈsəl/ + /ˈteɪ/ + /ʃn̩/.
In US English, the primary stress often lands on the /ˈteɪ/ syllable, with a rhotic /r/ absent in this word; in UK English the vowel qualities may be slightly more clipped, with a crisper /ˈteɪ/ and a less prominent final nasal syllable. Australian English mirrors US rhythm but can feature slightly broader vowel quality on /eɪ/ and a less pronounced /əl/ cluster. Overall, the main differences are vowel quality and the prominence of the -tion nasal in connected speech.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic rhythm and the /ˌsəlˈteɪ/ sequence, which places a strong mid-second syllable and a light, fast final /ʃn̩/ cluster in quick speech. The /ˈteɪ/ vowel can cause a slight vowel length perception, and the /n/ may nasalize with the /ɪ/ swash in rapid talk. Focus on the stressed /teɪ/ and keep the final nasal lightly articulated to avoid trailing sounds.
A notable feature is the -tion cluster where the ending is pronounced as /ˈteɪʃn̩/ with a soft, almost silent-t like onset to the -n. The 't' blends into the /ʃ/ sound, producing /ˈteɪʃn̩/ rather than a hard /t/ followed by /ʃ/. The 'con-' at the start is a reduced /kən/ typical of fast speech. This combination is common in professional terms ending in -tion.
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Consultation derives from the Latin consultatio, from consulere ‘to consult, seek advice, or experience together.’ The root consul- means ‘to take counsel,’ linked to the stem -tio as a noun-forming suffix indicating the action or process. In Late Latin, consultatio referred to the act of taking counsel; in Medieval Latin, it expanded to formal deliberations by councils or physicians. Old French adopted it as consultation, influenced by legal and ecclesiastical usages, widening from counsel to advisory meetings in various professional domains. In English, the word entered around the 15th century, initially denoting a formal act of seeking counsel. Over time, its use broadened to include appointments or sessions with professionals (doctors, lawyers, consultants) where expert opinion is sought and action plans are discussed. Today, “consultation” often connotes a defined appointment with a professional for guidance, as a step before decisions or treatments. Etymology traces a continuous thread of seeking counsel and collaborative decision-making across languages and centuries, reflecting the social function of expert advice in professional contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Consultation"
-ion sounds
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