3 syllables: frus, tra, tion. Stress on tra.
fruh-STRAY-shuhn
/fɹəsˈtɹeɪʃən/
frustration is pronounced fruh-STRAY-shuhn (/fɹəsˈtɹeɪʃən/). It has three syllables (frus-tra-tion), with the stress on "tra". Frustration is the emotional or mental state that arises when goals are blocked or expectations unmet, often accompanied by irritation, disappointment, and a sense of helplessness. It can also describe a situation that provokes such feelings. In linguistics, it’s a noun denoting the feeling; in some uses it contributes to adjectives like frustrated or frustrating. The term emphasizes sustained, non-violent reaction to impediments.
Frustration is the emotional or mental state that arises when goals are blocked or expectations unmet, often accompanied by irritation, disappointment, and a sense of helplessness. It can also describe a situation that provokes such feelings. In linguistics, it’s a noun denoting the feeling; in some uses it contributes to adjectives like frustrated or frustrating. The term emphasizes sustained, non-violent reaction to impediments.
"Her repeated delays caused mounting frustration as she struggled to meet the deadline."
"The frustrated student asked for extra help after failing the test twice."
"He expressed his frustration with the bureaucracy and slow process."
Pronounce as /frʌˈstreɪʃn̩/. Start with an /fr/ blend, then a stressed secondary syllable /-ˈstreɪ-/ with the long A as in 'lay.' The final syllabic /n̩/ is syllabic consonant, so slightly reduce the vowel before it. In US and UK, the main stress is on the second syllable: frus-TRAY-shun. Listen to native samples and mimic the rhythm of the stressed syllable. IPA-focused practice helps solidify the placement of the /eɪ/ diphthong and the light, almost silent ending /n/.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (e.g., frus-TRA-tion) and slurring the middle /streɪ/ into /stræ/ or /strəs/. Another error is pronouncing the final /ən/ as a full vowel or dropping the final syllable entirely. Correction tips: lock the primary stress on the second syllable with a clear /ˈstreɪ/; keep the /str/ cluster crisp with pursed lips, and finish with a light, syllabic /n̩/ that minimizes a separate vowel. Practicing slow, exaggerating the /streɪ/ portion, then transitioning to natural speed helps stabilize this pattern.
In US, /frʌˈstreɪʃn̩/ with rhotic /r/ and a clear /ɪ/ before n̩; UK often keeps a similar rhythm but with a sharper /ɒ/ or /ʌ/ depending on regiolect and may feature non-rhoticity in some speakers, giving a slightly reduced post-vocalic r. Australian tends toward a shorter /ɪ/ sound in unstressed syllables and a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable; the final /n̩/ remains syllabic. Across all, the core /frʌˈstreɪʃn̩/ skeleton holds, but vowel quality and r-sound color can shift subtly.
The difficulty stems from the consonant cluster /fr/ at the word onset, the stressed /streɪ/ syllable featuring a long diphthong, and the final syllabic /n̩/ that requires a smooth transfer from the preceding vowel to a quiet nasal closure without inserting an extra vowel. Learners often misplace the stress or soften the /ɪ/ before n̩ too much, turning it into /ə/. Practice keeping the syllable boundaries clear and maintaining tension-release in the tongue and lips to sustain the syllabic ending.
A common unique question is whether the /ʃ/ sound emerges in some accented realizations of the ending; in standard English, the ending is /-ʃn̩/ as in 'ation' with the /ʃ/ represented by the /ʃ/ in /tʃ/ or /ʃ/ weakening. In most pronunciations, the /t/ before /iə/ or /eɪ/ contributes to the /ʃn̩/ sequence. Focus on keeping the /t/ brief and ensuring the /ʃ/ is clearly heard as part of the /ʃn̩ sequence rather than a separate /t/ sound.
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Frustration comes from the Latin frustrari, meaning 'to deceive or disappoint,' from frustrare 'to deceive, disappoint, frustrate.' The Latin noun frustratio (a breaking of hope) evolved into Old French frustracion and then Middle English frustracioun before settling into the modern form frustration in the 16th century. The core sense—defeat of desire or thwarting of aims—remained stable, but the word broadened from a primarily emotional frame to describe sustained impediments and aggravation, both in personal mood and social contexts. Across the centuries, literature shows frustration as a psychosocial response to obstruction, and in modern usage it often coexists with adjectives like chronic, acute, or existential, describing the persistence of blocked aims in work, relationships, or decision-making. The term’s transition from a concrete act of deceit to an internal emotional state mirrors longer shifts in English toward attributing agency to external constraints as sources of stress. First known use appears in early modern English texts, with formal documentation emerging in the 1500s as writers sought to distinguish momentary annoyance from a deeper, protracted sense of thwarted intention.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "frustration" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "frustration"
-ion sounds
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