Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

expectation

/ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.99 in modern English

Syllables
ex-pec-ta-tion
IPA
/ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
22
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

That which is expected or looked for.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

That which is expected or looked for.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The prospect of the future; grounds upon which something excellent is expected to occur; prospect of anything good to come, especially of property or rank.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The value of any chance (as the prospect of prize or property) which depends upon some contingent event.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The first moment; the expected value; the long-run average value of a variable over many independent repetitions of an experiment.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The arithmetic mean.

Colloquial; Countable; Uncountable

noun

The leaving of a disease principally to the efforts of nature to effect a cure.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle French expectation, from Latin exspectātiō, from exspectō (“expect”). By surface analysis, expect + -ation. Displaced native Old English wēn.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: expectation, exspectātiō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
  • British English: /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

expect expectant expected Wikipedia:Expected value

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce expectation?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does expectation mean?
The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen.
Where does expectation come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce expectation

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “expectation”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “expectation” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.