Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hesitation

/ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
hes-i-ta-tion
IPA
/ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An act of hesitating

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Doubt; vacillation.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A faltering in speech; stammering.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin haereō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō ▲ Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin -titō Latin haesitō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin haesitātiōbor. English hesitation From Latin haesitātiōnem, accusative singular of haesitātiō (“hesitating, stammering”), from haesitō (“hesitate”). Displaced native Old English ġewand.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: haesitātiōnem

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
  • British English: /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hesitations (plural) hæsitation (alternative)

Derived Forms

hesitational

Phrases

hesitation form hesitation mark hesitation marker hesitation wound

Frequently Paired Words

hesitate

Synonyms

cunctation hesitance hesitancy hold-up shilly-shally irresolution wavering waver falter faltering

Rhymes With

information education situation population station association administration operation organization nation location application

Questions

How do you pronounce hesitation?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/.
What does hesitation mean?
An act of hesitating
Where does hesitation come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce hesitation

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