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-tion, -sion or -cian?
action, tension, musician.
Grades 4-8
The rule
The /shun/ ending is spelled -tion most of the time. Use -sion after l, n or r and when the ending buzzes as /zhun/. Use -cian for people and their jobs.
How it works
| action, nation, station | the usual choice → -tion |
| tension, expulsion, version | after n, l and r → -sion |
| decision, television | buzzing /zhun/ → -sion |
| musician, magician | a person → -cian |
| electrician, politician | a person → -cian |
Watch out for
- If the root word ends in -ate, the ending is nearly always -tion: educate → education, create → creation.
- If the root ends in -de or -se, expect -sion: decide → decision, confuse → confusion.