Words Ending in -TION: Complete List with Syllable Counts

The suffix -tion is everywhere in English. Action, nation, education, communication — it appears in thousands of words, always pronounced "shun" and always forming exactly 1 syllable. Understanding -tion words means understanding one of the most common patterns in the English language.

How -TION Works

The suffix -tion converts verbs into nouns. The verb "act" becomes the noun action. The verb "educate" becomes education. The verb "communicate" becomes communication.

The pronunciation is consistent: -tion always sounds like "shun." It rhymes with "fun" with a "sh" at the front. This never changes, regardless of the letters that come before it.

As a single syllable, -tion adds exactly 1 syllable to the word structure. But because it typically replaces the ending of the base verb (like the "-ate" in "educate"), the net syllable change varies:

Base Verb	Base Syllables	-TION Word	Total Syllables	Net Change
act	1	action	2	+1
note	1	notion	2	+1
relate	2	relation	3	+1
educate	3	education	4	+1
communicate	4	communication	5	+1

The pattern is remarkably consistent: the -tion form always has 1 more syllable than the base verb (or the base before the -ate ending, counting -tion as replacing -ate and adding a syllable).

-TION Words by Syllable Count

Two-Syllable -TION Words

These are the shortest -tion words, built from one-syllable roots:

Word	Breakdown	Root
action	ac·tion	act
nation	na·tion	— (Latin "natio")
motion	mo·tion	move
notion	no·tion	note
portion	por·tion	part
potion	po·tion	— (Latin "potio")
ration	ra·tion	rate
section	sec·tion	sect
station	sta·tion	— (Latin "statio")
mention	men·tion	— (Latin "mentio")
fiction	fic·tion	— (Latin "fictio")
function	func·tion	— (Latin "functio")
caution	cau·tion	— (Latin "cautio")
fashion	fash·ion	— (French "façon")
option	op·tion	opt
fraction	frac·tion	— (Latin "fractio")

Three-Syllable -TION Words

Word	Breakdown	Root Verb
attention	at·ten·tion	attend
collection	col·lec·tion	collect
condition	con·di·tion	—
connection	con·nec·tion	connect
correction	cor·rec·tion	correct
creation	cre·a·tion	create
direction	di·rec·tion	direct
election	e·lec·tion	elect
emotion	e·mo·tion	— (Latin)
equation	e·qua·tion	equate
exception	ex·cep·tion	except
infection	in·fec·tion	infect
invention	in·ven·tion	invent
location	lo·ca·tion	locate
nutrition	nu·tri·tion	—
pollution	pol·lu·tion	pollute
position	po·si·tion	— (Latin)
protection	pro·tec·tion	protect
reaction	re·ac·tion	react
relation	re·la·tion	relate
selection	se·lec·tion	select
solution	so·lu·tion	solve
tradition	tra·di·tion	— (Latin)
vacation	va·ca·tion	vacate

Four-Syllable -TION Words

Word	Breakdown	Root Verb
application	ap·pli·ca·tion	apply
celebration	cel·e·bra·tion	celebrate
combination	com·bi·na·tion	combine
competition	com·pe·ti·tion	compete
conversation	con·ver·sa·tion	converse
decoration	dec·o·ra·tion	decorate
definition	def·i·ni·tion	define
destination	des·ti·na·tion	destine
education	ed·u·ca·tion	educate
explanation	ex·pla·na·tion	explain
generation	gen·er·a·tion	generate
imagination	i·mag·i·na·tion	imagine (5 syllables)
information	in·for·ma·tion	inform
inspiration	in·spi·ra·tion	inspire
introduction	in·tro·duc·tion	introduce
investigation	in·ves·ti·ga·tion	investigate (5)
observation	ob·ser·va·tion	observe
operation	op·er·a·tion	operate
population	pop·u·la·tion	populate
preparation	prep·a·ra·tion	prepare
presentation	pres·en·ta·tion	present
situation	sit·u·a·tion	situate
transportation	trans·por·ta·tion	transport

Five-Syllable -TION Words

Word	Breakdown
communication	com·mu·ni·ca·tion
consideration	con·sid·er·a·tion
determination	de·ter·mi·na·tion
experimentation	ex·per·i·men·ta·tion (6)
identification	i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion (6)
imagination	i·mag·i·na·tion
organization	or·gan·i·za·tion
recommendation	rec·om·men·da·tion
representation	rep·re·sen·ta·tion

The Origin of -TION

The suffix -tion comes from Latin -tio (nominative -tio, genitive -tionis), which arrived in English through French. In Latin, it converted verbs into abstract nouns — and it does exactly the same thing in English today.

This Latin origin explains why -tion words tend to sound formal and academic. Compare: "She acts" (Germanic verb, casual) vs. "She took action" (Latin-derived noun, more formal). The -tion suffix moves language toward the formal register.

-TION vs. -SION vs. -CION

Three suffixes all make the "shun" sound:

-tion is by far the most common. Used when the base word ends in -t, -te, or -ct: "act → action," "create → creation," "direct → direction."

-sion appears after certain consonants and vowels. It can sound like "shun" (as in "tension") or "zhun" (as in "television," "decision"). Used when the base word ends in -d, -de, -se, or -mit: "decide → decision," "tense → tension."

-cion is extremely rare in English: "suspicion" and "coercion" are the main examples.

All three add 1 syllable and create nouns from verbs.

The 100 Most Common -TION Words

The most frequently used -tion words in English, by approximate usage frequency:

Question, information, education, situation, position, action, attention, condition, production, direction, population, operation, organization, nation, section, collection, election, station, tradition, function, protection, construction, reaction, connection, relation, addition, solution, emotion, definition, conversation, competition, generation, observation, application, communication, imagination, investigation, introduction, preparation, celebration, creation, foundation, location, mention, notion, option, portion, fiction, motion, caution.

Each of these can be verified for syllable count using our syllable counting tool.

Using -TION Words in Writing

Because -tion words are nouns derived from verbs, they create nominalizations — turning actions into things. This is useful for formal and academic writing but can make casual writing feel heavy.

Nominalized (formal): "The implementation of the regulation required the participation of the organization."

Active (clearer): "The organization helped implement the regulation."

The Flesch-Kincaid readability formula penalizes heavy use of -tion words because they add syllables. If your writing feels dense, look for -tion words you can convert back to their verb forms.

Browse our complete words ending in -tion page for the full searchable list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many syllables does -TION add?

The suffix -tion is always 1 syllable, pronounced "shun." When added to a base word, it increases the total syllable count by 1.

How many syllables does "education" have?

Education has 4 syllables: ed·u·ca·tion. It comes from the verb "educate" (3 syllables) + the -tion suffix (1 syllable), but -tion replaces -te, so the net addition is 1 syllable.

What's the difference between -TION and -SION?

Both create nouns and both are pronounced "shun" (though -sion can also sound like "zhun"). The spelling depends on the base word's final consonants. Words ending in -t or -ct typically use -tion; words ending in -d, -de, or -se typically use -sion.

Are -TION words always nouns?

Almost always. The vast majority of -tion words are nouns. Occasionally they're used as adjectives in compound forms ("action hero," "fiction writer"), but the -tion word itself remains a noun.

How many -TION words exist in English?

English has thousands of -tion words. Estimates range from 3,000 to 5,000+ depending on whether you count technical and scientific terms. It's one of the most productive suffixes in the language.