3 syllables: in, fec, tions. Stress on fec.
in-FEK-shuhnz
/ˌɪˈnfɛkʃənz/
infections is pronounced in-FEK-shuhnz (/ˌɪˈnfɛkʃənz/). It has three syllables (in-fec-tions), with the stress on "fec". Infections refers to the process or state of invading organisms (such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi) causing disease. It can also denote the act of becoming infected. The term is commonly used in medical and public health contexts to describe conditions arising from pathogenic intrusion and subsequent immune response.
Infections refers to the process or state of invading organisms (such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi) causing disease. It can also denote the act of becoming infected. The term is commonly used in medical and public health contexts to describe conditions arising from pathogenic intrusion and subsequent immune response.
"Recent outbreaks highlight how respiratory infections can spread rapidly in crowded environments."
"Proper hand hygiene reduces the risk of skin infections."
"Chronic infections require prompt medical evaluation and sometimes antibiotic treatment."
You pronounce it as in-FECK-tions, with the primary stress on the second syllable: /ˌɪnˈfɛk.ʃənz/ in US/UK. The sequence ‘inf’ blends quickly, the /f/ is labiodental, and the ending /-tʃənz/ sounds like “shun-z” in connected speech. Keep the /k/ crisp before the /tʃ/ cluster. In careful speech, you’ll hear a subtle syllable break before -tions; in connected speech, it tends to glide: in-FECK-shuhnz.
Common errors include delaying the second syllable’s stress, saying ‘in-FEK-shuns’ with weak or mis-timed /f/ and /ʃ/ transitions, and flattening the /t/ into a /d/ sound in rapid speech. Correct by emphasizing /fɛk/ as a unit, keeping /t/ aspirated before /ʃ/ (not assimilation to /d/), and finishing with a clear /ənz/ rather than an abrupt /əz/. Practice with slow, then normal speed, focusing on the /n/ nasal onset for the final syllable.
In US, stress remains on the second syllable: in-FECK-tions, with a clear /ɪ/ in the first syllable and a rhotic accent not changing the word’s core, though some speakers reduce the first vowel slightly. In UK, similar pattern, but may have a slightly tensed /ɪ/ before /f/ and a crisper /t/ cluster before /j/ in /tʃənz/. Australian English tends to be flatter vowels with less dense /ɪ/ and a softened /tʃ/ into /tɪənz/ in rapid speech. Overall, stress position is stable; vowel quality varies.
The difficulty centers on the three-consonant cluster /n- f- æ/ before the /k/ and the following /tʃ/ sound that forms /-fk.ʃən/. Coordinating the alveolar nasal /n/ and the aspirated /f/ without coalescing the /f/ and /tʃ/ into a single sound is a common challenge. Additionally, ensuring the final /ənz/ is not reduced to /ənz/ or /ənz/ with a weaker /z/. Practice by isolating /ɪnˈfɛk/ as a stable unit, then add /tʃənz/ with clear /t/ contact.
‘Infections’ features a stressed, stressed syllable after the prefix, and a tricky /tʃ/ onset in the third consonant cluster (tions). The /ɪ/ in initial syllable is reduced in fast speech, so you’ll benefit from maintaining a crisp /ɪ/ or /ɪn/ onset to avoid ambiguity with /ɪn-/ prefix. Additionally, the plural ending /-z/ interacts with the preceding /n/ and /ʃ/ to produce a buzzing final sound; keep the /z/ voiced but light to avoid overemphasis.
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Infections originates from Middle English infectionen, from Old French infection, based on Latin infectio, from infectus, past participle of inficere meaning to stain or taint. The root in- (into, on) + facere (to make) conveys the sense of something being made into a condition by outside agents. The medical sense rose in the 14th–15th centuries, evolving from general notions of contamination to the specific idea of pathogens invading tissues and provoking an immune response. Early medical writers described infections as imbalances or corruptions of the body’s humors; with advances in bacteriology in the 19th century, infections were understood as caused by living organisms. In modern usage, “infection” covers bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic processes, with plural “infections” used when referring to multiple disease processes of this kind. First known usages are attested in medieval Latin and Old French medical texts, with English adoption appearing in late Middle English medical writing. Over time the term broadened beyond singular instances to describe a class of conditions characterized by pathogen invasion and host response, later refined into specific clinical categories and epidemiological contexts.
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