Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ovation

/oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English

Syllables
o-vat-ion
IPA
/oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.

noun

A (ceremony for the) recognition of some achievement.

verb

To give (someone) an ovation (prolonged enthusiastic applause).

Informal

noun

The act of laying eggs.

Obsolete; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin ovō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin ovātiōnemlbor. English ovation Learned borrowing from Latin ovātiōnem.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₂ew-, ovatio, ōvum

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/
  • British English: [ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce ovation?
The recorded pronunciation is /oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/.
What does ovation mean?
A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.
Where does ovation come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce ovation

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ovation”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ovation”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ovation” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.