3 syllables: le, ga, tion. Stress on ga.
/ləˈɡeɪʃən/
Say it backLegation is a diplomatic mission or the embassy of one country in another, or the body of diplomats assigned to such a mission. The term can refer to the collective group of envoys or to the act of sending a legation. It has historical usage in international relations and diplomacy contexts, though it is less common in contemporary everyday speech.
"The legation in Paris operated with formal protocols and etiquette."
"Historical treaties were drafted and signed under the supervision of the legation."
"During the 19th century, many nations maintained legations in European capitals."
/ləˈɡeɪʃən/ US, /ləˈdʒeɪʃən/ in some British variants is rare; the common form is le-GAY-shən with secondary stress on the second syllable. Start with a relaxed schwa, then a hard G sound, followed by the long A as in 'day', ending with '-shən'. Mouth: lips neutral to light rounded on the second syllable, tongue high for /eɪ/ but not tensed. IPA guide: /ləˈɡeɪʃən/. You’ll hear the stress on the second syllable: legAtion. Audio reference: listen to standard dictionaries or Forvo entries for 'legation' to compare regional variants.
Two common errors: (1) misplacing stress, saying /ˈlɛɡeɪtɪən/ or /ləˈɡeɪʃən/ with wrong syllable emphasis; (2) pronouncing the /ɡ/ as a hard stop or confusing the /eɪ/ with /iː/. Correction: keep stress on the second syllable, /ləˈɡeɪʃən/, and produce /eɪ/ as a tense diphthong, closing with a soft, palatalized /ʃ/ followed by schwa + n. Practice by breaking into three chunks: /lə/ - /ˈɡeɪ/ - /ʃən/.
In US English, you’ll typically hear /ləˈɡeɪʃən/ with a clear /ɡ/ and rhotic r, though legation ends with /ən/. UK speakers commonly use /ləˈɡeɪʃən/ or occasionally /ləˈdʒeɪʃən/ though the latter is less standard. Australian English tends to maintain /ləˈɡeɪʃən/ with non-rhoticity; the r is not pronounced before a vowel, and vowel quality in /eɪ/ remains similar. Across all, the main feature is stress on second syllable; the subtle timbre of /ɡ/ and /ʃ/ depends on locale.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /ɡeɪʃ/ where the /eɪ/ must follow a hard /ɡ/ without creating an unintended glide, plus ending consonant cluster /ʃən/ that requires a rapid transition from /ʃ/ to a schwa and /n/. The secondary stress and quick syllable rhythm in connected speech can blur the /ˈɡeɪ/ portion. Practice with slow, careful articulation and then increase speed while maintaining clarity of /eɪ/ and /ʃən/.
There are no silent letters in legation. All letters in /ləˈɡeɪʃən/ encode sound: the initial /l/ is voiced, the /eɪ/ is a stable diphthong, the /ɡ/ is a hard stop before /eɪ/, the /ʃ/ is a voiceless palato-alveolar fricative, the /ə/ is a reduced vowel, and /n/ closes the word. Ensure you vocalize /ɡ/ clearly so the /eɪ/ isn’t misheard as /iː/.
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Legation comes from the Latin legatio, meaning a sending or mission, from legare 'to appoint as a legate' or legatus 'ambassador, envoy'. The root leg- relates to sending, appointing, or deputizing. In medieval and early modern diplomacy, legatus was a plenipotentiary or envoy with delegated authority. In English, legation first appeared in the 17th-18th centuries as a term for the diplomatic mission of lesser rank than an embassy; the agents were called legates. Over time, as diplomatic structures evolved, many nations replaced legations with embassies, especially in the 20th century, but some countries or historical contexts still use the term legation to denote a diplomatic legate’s residence, or the constituency of envoys, or the act of sending a mission. First known uses appear in correspondence and treaties from the Renaissance through the early modern period, with evolving usage in state papers and diplomatic histories. The word retained specialized meaning even as the usual term in diplomacy shifted toward 'embassy' for the main diplomatic post in a foreign capital; 'legation' and 'legate' appear in historical accounts, treaties, and legal texts referencing the authority and office of envoys and their staff.
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Words that rhyme with "legation"
-ion sounds
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