3 syllables: de, lu, sion. Stress on lu.
dil-OO-zhuhn
/dɪˈluʒən/
delusion is pronounced dil-OO-zhuhn (/dɪˈluʒən/). It has three syllables (de-lu-sion), with the stress on "lu". Delusion refers to a strongly held belief that is not grounded in reality, typically arising from mental illness or extreme misperception. It denotes a false conviction that persists despite evidence to the contrary, often accompanied by a rigid, unshakeable certainty. In psychology and everyday discourse, it can describe any erroneous belief or illusion that shapes behavior. (2-4 sentences, 50-80 words).
Delusion refers to a strongly held belief that is not grounded in reality, typically arising from mental illness or extreme misperception. It denotes a false conviction that persists despite evidence to the contrary, often accompanied by a rigid, unshakeable certainty. In psychology and everyday discourse, it can describe any erroneous belief or illusion that shapes behavior. (2-4 sentences, 50-80 words)
"Her delusion that she could fly led her to attempt a leap from the balcony, which thankfully ended without serious harm."
"The patient’s delusion of persecution prompted doctors to adjust the treatment plan."
"Investors suffered a delusion of endless growth, ignoring warning signs in the market."
Pronounce as /dɪˈluː.ʒən/. The stress is on the second syllable: de-LU-sion. Start with a short /d/, then a short /ɪ/ followed by a long /uː/ as in 'two', then an /ʒ/ sound like the 's' in 'measure', and finish with schwa + n: /ən/. Tip: keep the /lj/ cluster smooth between /l/ and /uː/ to avoid an extraneous break. IPA: US /dɪˈluːʒən/, UK /dɪˈluːʒən/, AU /dɪˈluːʒən/.
Two frequent errors: 1) Dropping the /l/ after the initial /d/: you might say /dɪˈuːʒən/ which sounds like ‘duu-zhen.’ 2) Misplacing the /ˈ/ stress or vowel length, giving /dəˈljuːˈʒən/ or not rounding the /uː/ enough. Correction: keep the /l/ solid after /d/, place primary stress on the second syllable, and elongate the /uː/ without breaking the glide into /j/ too early. Focus on the /luː/ sequence and the /ʒ/ sound following it.
US/UK/AU share the /dɪˈluːʒən/ skeleton, but rhoticity affects adjacent vowels and the /ˈlj/ cluster can vary in smoothing. In many US and AU speech, the /r/ is not present in this word, keeping a strict /dɪˈluːʒən/. UK speakers often maintain a crisper /l/ and slightly more rounded /uː/; some regional accents may reduce the /ju/ into a closer /uː/ or blend the /l/ with a light alveolar. Overall, the main vowel quality and the /ʒ/ remain stable. IPA: US /dɪˈluːʒən/, UK /dɪˈluːʒən/, AU /dɪˈluːʒən/.
Two key challenges: the /l/ + /uː/ sequence requires you to maintain a stable alveolar /l/ without turning into a simple /l/ onset of the following vowel, and the /ʒ/ sound (as in ‘measure’) is uncommon for many learners, needing proper tongue position and voiced-palatal fricative awareness. Also, the /ˈluː/ vowel is long and tense, so you must keep the jaw relatively closed and lips rounded to produce the correct vowel. IPA cues: /dɪˈluːʒən/.
A unique feature is the /lj/ glide sequence treating /l/ and /j/ as a rapid, smooth transition into the stressed /uː/. The correct timing avoids producing a separate /l/ onset for the following vowel; instead, it should feel like a single /luː/ cluster leading into /ʒən/. Practice by isolating the /luː/ portion with a held /uː/ sound before blending into /ʒən/.
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Delusion comes from the Latin delus- (past participle stem of delirere, meaning to mislead, confuse, or drain away) from de- (away) + lūdere (to play, to deceive). The term entered English via Late Latin and Old French, retaining the sense of being led astray or deceived. In its earliest uses, delusion referred to a mental misperception or deviation from truth, often in religious or philosophical contexts. By the 17th–18th centuries, it shifted toward clinical usage in medicine and psychology, where it described fixed beliefs not amenable to change despite contrary evidence. In contemporary psychology, delusion is a core symptom in several disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) and also appears in common parlance to describe stubborn false beliefs. The word’s evolution tracks a shift from a broad sense of misleading illusion to a more precise diagnostic term, while the phonetic form largely remains stable with stress on the second syllable: de-LU-sion. First known use in English is attested in the 16th–17th centuries, with earlier Latin roots evidenced in medical and philosophical texts.
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Words that rhyme with "delusion"
-ion sounds
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