3 syllables: E, mul, sion. Stress on mul.
im-UHL-shuhn
/ɪˈmʌlʃən/
Emulsion is pronounced im-UHL-shuhn (/ɪˈmʌlʃən/). It has three syllables (E-mul-sion), with the stress on "mul". Emulsion is a stable mixture of two immiscible liquids (typically oil and water) where tiny droplets of one liquid are dispersed within the other, often with an emulsifier to stabilize the blend. It is widely used in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The term emphasizes dispersion and stabilization rather than complete blending.
nounEmulsion is a stable mixture of two immiscible liquids (typically oil and water) where tiny droplets of one liquid are dispersed within the other, often with an emulsifier to stabilize the blend. It is widely used in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The term emphasizes dispersion and stabilization rather than complete blending.
- Misplacing stress: many say em-UL-sion or e-MUL-sion. Correct by briefly sustaining /ˈɛm/ and then switching to /juː/ without a vowel drop. - Mispronouncing the final cluster: avoid breaking /lʒ/ into /l/ + /ʒ/. Practice saying /lʒ/ as a single, palatalized sound, then add the final schwa. - Over-articulating the /juː/; keep it as a smooth glide into /lʒən/ rather than a heavy /ju/ plus consonants. - Final syllable confusion: don’t make the last /ən/ too dark; keep it light and quick.
How to Pronounce Emulsion
"The kitchen guests watched as the emulsion of vinaigrette separated briefly before whisking together again."
"Cosmetic creams rely on emulsions to keep oil and water from separating."
"Scientists studied the stability of the oil-in-water emulsion under varying temperatures."
Say /ˈɛm.juː.lʒən/ (US: /ˈɛm.juːˌlʒən/). The word has three syllables with primary stress on the first syllable. The middle syllable features a /juː/ vowel sequence, and the final syllable contains the /lʒ/ consonant cluster as a single palatalized sound before the schwa. Tip: keep your tongue mid/high for the /j/ and release into a soft /lʒ/ blend. Audio: try hearing it in dictionaries or Pronounce resources for confirmation.
Common errors: treating the middle /juː/ as a pure /ju/ or misplacing stress on the second syllable. Another frequent mistake is pronouncing the final /lʒən/ as /lən/ or splitting the /lʒ/ into /l/ and /ʒ/. Correction: keep /juː/ as a single glide, merge the /l/ with the following /ʒ/ into a palatalized affricate /lʒ/, and end with a light, quick /ən/.
US tends to emphasize the first syllable with /ˈɛm.juː.lʒən/ and a slightly tensed /juː/. UK often shows a similar pattern but with a more open /ɒ/ in related forms; AU commonly rhymes a touch closer to /ˈɛm.juː.lən/ with a softer ending, and may reduce the /lʒ/ blend slightly depending on speaker. In all, the /ˈɛm/ onset and /juː/ middle are stable, the final /lʒən/ or /lən/ varies in rhoticity and vowel quality.
The difficulty centers on the /lʒ/ cluster in the final syllable, a rare English consonant blend that combines an /l/ with a voiced palatal fricative /ʒ/. Learners often mispronounce as /ɪˈmælʃən/ or /ˈɛm.juː.lən/. Focus on producing a smooth transition from /ljuː/ to /lʒən/, keeping the tongue close to the palate and avoiding a strong /n/ before the /ən/.
There are no silent letters in standard pronunciation, and the stress reliably falls on the first syllable: /ˈɛm.juː.lʒən/. Some speakers may place slight secondary stress on the second syllable in fast speech, but primary stress remains on the first. The tricky part is the /lʒ/ blend, which requires a quick, concise articulation to avoid a separate /l/ and /ʒ/ sounds.
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- US: keep rhoticity minimal in this word; the /r/ is not involved here. The /juː/ should be a clear, rounded glide. IPA: /ˈɛm.juː.lʒən/. - UK: similar structure, but some speakers reduce the final /ən/ to a schwa that’s barely audible; maintain the /lʒ/ cluster. - AU: tendency to slightly broader vowel in the first syllable and a soft, less tense final; keep it crisp on the /ˈɛm.juː.lən/ variant. Across accents, ensure the /lʒ/ remains a single palatalized unit rather than two distinct sounds. - Reference vowels: /ɪ/ vs /iː/ variations are not primary here; focus on /ˈɛm/ onset and the mid back rounded /uː/.
Emulsion comes from the Latin emulgere, meaning to milk out or to drain off. The English form entered via Old French emulsion (late Middle English), originally referring to the act of mixing or emulsifying fats and liquids. The French word emulsifier also contributed to the term in modern usage. Its core sense evolved from a physical process of bringing two immiscible liquids into a stable mixture to a general term for any heterogeneous dispersion. By the 17th–18th centuries, scientists and cooks used emulsion to describe emulsions in food, medicine, and chemistry. The word’s spelling with -sion reflects French-derived noun formation, while the pronunciation stabilized in English with the stress on the second syllable, /ɪˈməlʒən/ or /ˈɛmjuːlʃən/ in many varieties. Over time, the term broadened beyond fats-in-water to include emulsions in cosmetics and industrial chemistry, though the core concept remains the tiny droplets suspended in a continuous phase. First known use in English is documented around the 17th century in scientific and culinary contexts, with the modern sense cemented by the 19th century as colloidal science advanced.
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Words that rhyme with "Emulsion"
-ion sounds
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