3 syllables: ex, plo, sions. Stress on plo.
/ɪkˈploʊʒənz/
Say it backExplosions refers to the plural of explosion, meaning a violent, rapid release of energy that causes a shock wave and a loud blast. It can describe the act or event of exploding or the sound produced. The term is used across science, safety, and media contexts to denote sudden, forceful eruptions or bursts.
"The explosions rocked the hillside, scattering debris far and wide."
"Researchers studied the chemical explosions to understand detonation physics."
"The film opened with a series of dramatic explosions that captured the audience's attention."
Pronounce as /ɪkˈspləʊ.ʒənz/ in UK/AU or /ɪkˈsploʊ.ʒənz/ in US. Stress falls on the second syllable: ex-plo-SIONS. Start with a short, crisp first syllable ‘ik’, glide into ‘splo’ with a rounded lips for /oʊ/ (US) or /əʊ/ (UK/AU), then ’ʒənz’ with a voiced palato-alveolar fricative /ʒ/ followed by a schwa /ə/ and final /nz/. Audio reference: try hearing raíz examples on Pronounce or Forvo; imagine the burst of air as you voice the middle cluster.
Common mistakes include de-voicing or misplacing the final /z/ in plural; mispronouncing the middle vowel as /ɪ/ or /ɛ/; and flattening the /oʊ/ to a short /o/. Correction: keep the long mid diphthong in US /ˈsploʊ/ and the UK/AU /ˈspləʊ/ by keeping your lips rounded for the /oʊ/ sound, ensure the /ʒ/ is voiced and not a /ʃ/; finally, add a clear final /z/ instead of an /s/ or /z/ with a reduced release.
In US, the primary vowel in the second syllable is a clear diphthong /oʊ/ and the middle consonant cluster begins with /spl/; in UK/AU, the second syllable often uses a more centralized /əʊ/ and the /ɒ/ or /ə/ may be reduced; rhoticity affects the overall sound with US keeping /ɹ/ subtly, while UK/AU are non-rhotic in some dialects, affecting preceding vowels slightly. Practically, US speakers: /ɪkˈsploʊ.ʒənz/; UK/AU: /ɪkˈspləʊ.ʒənz/.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster /spl/ pinching air before the /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ diphthong, plus the /ʒ/ sound which is less common in many languages and requires tongue positioning near the palate. The final /ənz/ sequence also tests accurate voicing and syllable timing in rapid speech. Focus on producing a clean /spl/ onset, a smooth diphthong, and a distinct final /z/.
There are no silent letters in explosions; the stress is consistently on the second syllable (ex-plo-SIONS) in standard usage. Some speakers may slight-shift the vowel in the second syllable depending on rhythm, but the /ʃ/ sound is not present; the middle is a smooth /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on dialect. The key is keeping energy into the mid syllable and ensuring the final /z/ is voiced.
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Explosions originates from the noun explosion, formed in early modern English from the Latin explodere meaning to drive out or eject, from ex- ‘out’ + pfurere ‘to drive, push hard, swell’ (root verb). The sense broadened in the 17th–18th centuries with scientific discourse on chemical and physical reactions producing explosive force. English borrowed the French exploser and Latin roots during the era of rapid technological advancement and military innovation, formalizing in print around the 16th–18th centuries. The noun explosion originally described a physical event of bursting, and by the 19th century it extended to metaphorical and non-physical uses (media, figurative bursts of energy). The modern plural explosions is used when referring to multiple instances of such events.
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Words that rhyme with "explosions"
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