- In both UK and US speech, say pro-NUN-ci-a-tion: five syllables, main stress on NUN, a lighter secondary stress on A in -a-tion.
If you want to hear the word spoken, the Cambridge dictionary entry for 'pronunciation' is a good place to look. It gives separate UK and US entries, and each one has an audio icon you can click to hear the word said aloud. The audio works as long as your browser supports it.
Stress to check
Keep your lips slightly rounded for pro, then flatten into a clear NUN with the tongue tip up behind the teeth. Keep the vowel short and firm, not drawn out.
Slide through ci-a lightly, almost whispered, so neither syllable steals weight from NUN.
Finish with one light, short shun for -tion. Keep the sh sound brief so the ending stays a single syllable and does not grow an extra beat.
Saying it in a phrase
Check the pronunciation in the dictionary. Say it slowly at first, landing hardest on NUN: pro-NUN-ci-a-tion. Then speed up, keeping the second syllable strong while ci-a stays light and the ending stays one shun sound.
Notice the contrast in a paired sentence: I can pronounce it, but not the pronunciation. The verb carries its main stress on the final syllable, nounce, while the noun stresses the second syllable, NUN.
Read the pair aloud twice: once as pro-NOUNCE with the stress pushed to the end, once as pro-NUN-ci-a-tion with NUN strongest. Feel the stress move back one beat as you switch from the verb to the noun.