French endings like -tion, -sion, -ssion or -xion all sound the same but when do you actually know which one to use?
Even though they’re spelt differently, all these endings are roughly pronounced like syohn. So the challenge really lies in the spelling.
Words ending in -tion
This is the most commonly used and comes after the letters c, o, p, and the syllable au.
Example: conception (design), action (action), promotion (promotion), précaution (precaution)
It is often used after vowels, except the “e” without an accent (é,è,ê)
Example: ablation (ablation), élocution (eloquence), discrétion (discretion), définition (definition)
As you can see, English words ending in -tion are often the same in French which is a tip for you to remember as well.
Words ending in -ssion
After the vowel “e”, you would thus use the ending -ssion. It always follows a vowel and never a consonant.
Example: possession (possession), pression (pressure), aggression (agression), impression (impression)
Except for nouns where an adjective ends in -et or a verb in -éter, in this case it would end in -tion
Example in -et: discret (discreet) – discrétion (discretion)
Example of a verb in -éter: répéter (to rehearse) – répétition (rehearsal), interpréter (to interpret) – interprétation (interpretation)
Words ending in -sion
Generally speaking, we’ll find that most words end in -tion after consonants. However, after “r”, “l” and “n”, the ending is usually in -sion.
Example with -lsion: une émulsion (emulsion), une convulsion (convulsion), une expulsion (expulsion)
Example in -rsion : une immersion (immersion), une diversion (diversion), une excursion (excursion), une contorsion (a contortion)
Exceptions: une assertion (assertion), une désertion (desertion) – because this word comes from the French word désert (desert), which ends in a -t, same with une portion (a portion), which comes from the word une partie (a part).
Examples in -ansion: une expansion (an expansion)
Examples in -ension: une extension (an extension), ascension (climb, ascent), une pension (can mean boarding school, or pension)
Words ending in -xion
This case is quite rare and we can find it in words that already contain a “c” or an “x”.
Example: annexion (annexation), une complexion (a complexion), une connexion (connection), une réflexion (reflection)
Interesting note about the word connexion. In French, it has an ‘x’ even though the associated verb is se connecter (to connect). In English, however, this is a false friend in terms of spelling, as it is written ‘a connection’.
Another rare case is words ending in -cion
The verb suspecter (to suspect) takes a c – in the noun une suspicion (a suspicion)
A quick note on the verb suspecter, as the noun takes a “c”, we also have une liposuccion (liposuction) and une succion (a suction).
Same for the first-person plural form of verbs ending in -cier, conjugated with the pronoun nous (us), and always with an s at the end.
For example: remercier (to thank) – nous remercions (we thank you), apprécier (to appreciate) – nous apprécions (we appreciate), bénéficier (to benefit) – nous bénéficions (we benefit)
