Speech tips: How do you say vacation?

How do you pronounce the word “vacation?”

There are two pronunciations you may hear of this word.  The difference is in the first syllable.  For the vast majority of American speakers (over 90%), the first syllable “va-“ rhymes with “stay” and “may.”  There is another pronunciation of that first syllable that is frequently heard. It sounds more like “vuh.”  It is a pronunciation heard sometimes in British pronunciation (about 40%) and occasionally in American pronunciation (10%).

Both pronunciations are considered acceptable, but the first one is the more usual one.  

Click on the brief video to hear the difference.

Confident Speech specializes in accent and pronunciation training. For more information about our training programs, explore our web site or contact us.