tab-yuh-LAY-shuhnz
/ˌtæbjəˈleɪʃənz/
tabulations is pronounced tab-yuh-LAY-shuhnz (/ˌtæbjəˈleɪʃənz/). Tabulations refers to the act or process of tallying or counting items and organizing the results into tables. It can also mean the items or entries that have been tallied. The term is often used in data analysis, statistics, and reporting contexts to describe the compilation and arrangement of numerical data or textual data into structured summaries.
Tabulations refers to the act or process of tallying or counting items and organizing the results into tables. It can also mean the items or entries that have been tallied. The term is often used in data analysis, statistics, and reporting contexts to describe the compilation and arrangement of numerical data or textual data into structured summaries.
"The researchers published the tabulations of survey responses."
"We reviewed the tabulations to compare regional performance across years."
"The tabulations revealed a steady increase in enrollment from 2019 to 2023."
Common pronunciation: ta-byoo-LAY-shuhnz, with primary stress on the third syllable: ta-bu-LA-tions. IPA: US: təˌbjuleˈɪʃənz or təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz depending on speaker. For precise articulation: start with /t/ + /ə/ (schwa), glide with /bjuː/ for the “bu-” portion, then /ˈleɪ/ or /ˈleɪ/ to capture the “la” vowel, and end with /ʃənz/ reducing to a soft /z/.
Two frequent errors: misplacing the stress and mispronouncing the /bj/ cluster. People may say ta-BU-la-tions or ta-bu-LAY-shuns. Correct approach: keep the primary stress on the third syllable: ta-bu-LA-tions and pronounce /bj/ as a single /bju/ sequence (like 'beauty' without the 'ty') or clearly as /bj/ followed by /uː/ depending on speaker. Ensure the final -tions is /ʃənz/ rather than /tʃənz/ for American and British variants.
In US English you’ll often hear /təˌbjuleˈeɪʃənz/ with a rhotacized or reduced /r/-like quality in unstressed syllables. UK speakers typically render as /təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz/ with less rhoticity in non-rhotic accents and a clearer /juː/ after /b/. Australian speech tends to preserve /juː/ but with slightly broader vowel qualities and a shorter, flatter ending; you may hear /təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz/ with some flattening of the final syllable. IPA references: US təˌbjuleˈeɪʃənz; UK təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz; AU təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz.
Two main challenges: a multi-syllabic word with a /bj/ cluster after a stressed syllable and the /ʃənz/ ending that can blend or shift in fast speech. The /bj/ sequence requires careful tongue positioning: start with a light /b/, transition into a high-palatal /j/ sound, then slide into /uː/ or /u/ before the /l/ of 'la-'. The final -tions often reduces to -ʃənz or -ʃənz-like sounds, which people may mispronounce as -tions or -shuns. Practice precise separation between the vowel in -la- and the subsequent /ʃənz/.
A unique angle is the /ju/ sequence after /b/ that can be misheard as /juˈliː/ or /ˈdʒuː/ if rushed. Keep the sequence tight: /təˌbjul/eɪ/ or /təˌbjuleɪ/ depending on dialect, with a crisp /ˈleɪ/ and a clearly released /ʃənz/. Ensuring the second syllable carries light stress while the third bears primary stress helps distinguish from similar terms like 'tables' or 'tabulation' (singular). IPA reminders: US təˌbjuleˈeɪʃənz; UK təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz.
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US: rhotic influence makes the /r/ sound absent in syllables but affects surrounding vowels slightly; keep the /t/ crisp and the /ə/ in the first syllable. UK: less rhoticity, so the /r/ is not pronounced; emphasize /bjuː/ with a rounded /uː/ and clear /ləɪ/ in -la-tion. AU: tends to align with UK on rhoticity but with slightly broader vowels and more flattened endings; maintain /təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz/ with an even, non-stressed final syllable. IPA references: US təˌbjuleˈeɪʃənz; UK təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz; AU təˌbjuːˈleɪʃənz.
The word tabulations comes from the noun table, via Latin tabula meaning 'table, board, list' and the suffix -ation indicating an action or process. The root tabul- derives from Latin tabula, which originally referred to a tablet or board used for writing. The concept of tabulation—systematically arranging data into a table or row-and-column format—emerged in early bookkeeping and census practices. The English term tabulation appeared in the 16th to 17th centuries as scholars and clerks needed a precise word for the counting and recording of items in an organized, tabular form. In the 19th and 20th centuries, with the growth of statistics, data science, and computing, tabulation gained strong association with the creation of structured summaries of data. The plural form tabulations indicates multiple instances or units of tabulation, but it is often used generically to refer to the overall process or set of tabulated results in modern usage.
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Words that rhyme with "tabulations"
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