Amounting is the gerund or present participle form of the verb ‘amount,’ meaning to total or add up to a certain quantity. In usage, it often appears as part of phrases like “amounting to,” signaling a result or consequence of a sum or degree. The pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable, linking /aʊ/ to /mɒt/ in many dialects, with a silent or lightly reduced final syllable depending on rhythm.
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"The donations are amounting to over a million dollars."
"Her efforts, amounting to years of study, finally paid off."
"The risk is small, but the potential loss is amounting."
"The total cost is amounting to more than expected."
Amounting comes from the verb amount, which in turn derives from the Old French enough, amounter, from Latin ad-manus, not directly. The core idea is to ‘come to be’ in quantity. The root verb ‘amount’ appeared in English in the late Middle English period, evolving from ‘an amount’ (a sum total) into the modern verb form meaning to reach a sum or total. The gerundial form -ing attaches to indicate ongoing action or a state resulting from cumulative addition. Early uses were abstract, often mathematical or accountant-like, but over centuries it broadened to general financial and numerical contexts as well as figurative usage (e.g., expenses amounting to trouble). The semantic shift mirrors the expansion of the concept from a fixed quantity to a cumulative outcome, often signaling consequence rather than the act of adding per se. First known uses appear in financial or accounting contexts, with the sense of accumulating totals becoming common in Early Modern English and into contemporary usage, where it is frequently paired with prepositions like to, up, or in phrases such as “amounting to.”
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Words that rhyme with "amounting"
-ing sounds
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Phonetic guide: /əˈmaʊn.tɪŋ/ in US/UK/AU. Start with a schwa syllable, then a stressed ‘mouth’ diphthong /aʊ/ as in 'out,' followed by /n/ and a light /t/ before the final /ɪŋ/. Mouth position: relaxed jaw, lips rounded slightly for /ə/ then lip rounding shifts to open-mid /aʊ/ diphthong, tip of tongue on alveolar ridge for /t/, nasal /n/ right after, final /ɪŋ/ with tongue blade high, back of tongue lowered. Emphasis on the second syllable: ə-MAUN-ting. Audio reference: listen to authoritative dictionary recordings on Cambridge or Oxford for confirmation.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress, saying a-MOUN-ting with first syllable stress; correct is secondary stress on the second syllable (ə-MAUN-ting). (2) Slurring the /t/ into the following /ɪŋ/, producing /-ɪŋ/ as a quick or barely audible segment; keep a light /t/ release before the final /ɪŋ/. (3) Mispronouncing /aʊ/ as /aɪ/ or /ɔː/; ensure the diphthong is the /aʊ/ as in ‘out.’ Corrections: practice isolating the /aʊ/ diphthong, rehearse with minimal pairs (out, about) to hear the correct glide; rehearse /t/ with a crisp release before /ɪŋ/.
US/UK/AU share /əˈmaʊn.tɪŋ/ with primary stress on the second syllable; differences lie in vowel quality and rhoticity. US: rhotic, /ɹ/ in /ˈmaʊn/ is non-syllabic? The /ɹ/ is not present here; focus on /aʊ/ strengthened with more jaw openness in US; final /ɪŋ/ is light and often reduced in casual speech. UK: non-rhotic; /ɔː/ not present; /aʊ/ may be a tighter diphthong; AU: similar to general, often with a slightly longer /aʊ/ and more vowel coloring; prosody mildly flatter with Australian intonation. Practice comparing the segments: listen to native recordings to perceive subtle shifts.
Key challenges: the diphthong /aʊ/ in the stressed nucleus requires precise jaw opening and lip rounding; the /t/ release before a nasal-led ending; and maintaining correct stress on the second syllable in fluent speech. The sequence /aʊn/ can tempt replacement with /aʊm/ or an elongated /n/ when linking to following words. Focus on crisp /t/ release and clean /ɪŋ/ ending, with a stable schwa in the first syllable. Behind it, the smooth transition between /maʊn/ and /tɪŋ/ demands careful timing.
The key noun-verb form shift affects rhythm: amount (noun/verb root) + -ing forms modify the emphasis. In 'amounting to' the phrase flows with a light, rapid glide into the final /tɪŋ/: əˈmaʊn.tɪŋ. The unique aspect is the heavy nucleus /aʊ/ in the second syllable and the quick, aspirated /t/ before /ɪŋ/. This requires precise tongue blade position at /t/ and a quick, controlled mouth opening into /ɪŋ/.
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