2 syllables: co, king. Stress on co.
KOH-king
/ˈkoʊkɪŋ/
coking is pronounced KOH-king (/ˈkoʊkɪŋ/). It has two syllables (co-king), with the stress on "co". Coking is the process of heating coal or oil to drive off volatile components, producing coke for steelmaking or fuel. In chemistry contexts it also refers to the formation of carbonaceous deposits in engines or furnaces. The term covers both industrial production and the study of coke formation, with specialized terminology and operational conditions.
Coking is the process of heating coal or oil to drive off volatile components, producing coke for steelmaking or fuel. In chemistry contexts it also refers to the formation of carbonaceous deposits in engines or furnaces. The term covers both industrial production and the study of coke formation, with specialized terminology and operational conditions.
"The steel plant uses coking coal to produce coke for blast furnaces."
"Oil refineries monitor coking reactions to prevent unwanted carbon buildup."
"Coking can cause fouling in engines if fuel quality is poor."
Say it as KO-king with primary stress on the first syllable: US /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/, UK/AU /ˈkəʊ.kɪŋ/. Start with a long O in the first syllable, then a short i in the second: /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ followed by /kɪŋ/. Mouth: rounded lips for /oʊ/ or relaxed for /əʊ/, then the /k/ stop and a lax /ɪ/ before /ŋ/. Tik: place the tongue high back for the vowel, tip of the tongue for /k/, soft palatal closure for /ŋ/.
Common errors: 1) pronouncing the first syllable with a short /ɪ/ or /æ/ instead of the long /oʊ/ or /əʊ/; 2) misplacing stress, saying /kɒ.kɪŋ/ with wrong vowel in British English or misplacing the /ŋ/; 3) adding an extra syllable or mispronouncing the final /ŋ/ as /ŋk/ or /ŋg/. Correction: emphasize the long diphthong /oʊ/ or /əʊ/, keep /ɪ/ brief, close with a clean /ŋ/ without a hard edger; practice with minimal pairs like /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/ vs /ˈkəʊ.kɪŋ/ and record yourself.
US tends to use /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/ with a clear /oʊ/ diphthong and rhotic influence on surrounding vowels; UK/AU use /ˈkəʊ.kɪŋ/ or /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/ depending on regional vowel shift, with less rhotic influence and often a slightly flatter /əʊ/ in the first syllable. The main difference is the realization of the first vowel: /oʊ/ (US) vs /əʊ/ (UK/AU). Final /ŋ/ remains the same. In some Australian speakers, you may hear a more centralized starting vowel and a slightly more open jaw position for /əʊ/.
The challenge lies in the two-part vowel in the first syllable and the rapid transition into the /k/ onset and the final /ŋ/. For non-native speakers, the diphthong requires precise tongue height and lip rounding, and the final nasal can soften or harden depending on local speech. Achieve clarity by isolating the /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ then practice the /k/ closure and nasal /ŋ/ separately before blending.
There are no silent letters in coking, but the word presents a diphthong in the first syllable and a final nasal cluster with /ŋ/. The key is not to reduce the /ɪ/ and avoid linking sounds that turn into /ˈkɒ.kɪŋ/ or /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/ depending on the speaker. You’ll hear the crisp /k/ closure before the nasal, with a clean transition from the vowel to the /k/ and onto /ŋ/.
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- US: /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/. The first vowel is a tight, longer /oʊ/ with rounded lips; /k/ is a crisp stop; /ɪŋ/ is a short, relaxed follow-through. - UK/AU: /ˈkəʊ.kɪŋ/ or /ˈkoʊ.kɪŋ/. The first vowel often leans toward a more centralized /əʊ/ sound; keep lips rounded for /əʊ/ as you move to /kɪŋ/. - Vowel differences: US diphthong tends to be more pronounced; UK/AU may have a slightly more centralized starting point in /ə/ or a longer /əʊ/ sound. Consonants: keep /k/ crisp; avoid adding a vowel between /k/ and /ɪŋ/.
Coking derives from the word coke, which in turn comes from the Old Dutch kok or the Dutch cocke meaning a form of coal. The modern industrial sense emerged in the 17th–19th centuries as coal was mass-produced and refined for iron and steel. The verb form “to coke” appeared in the mid-1800s to describe the action of turning coal into coke via destructive distillation. The root concept is carbonization: heating organic material to drive off volatile compounds, leaving a carbon-rich solid. The specialized noun coke, meaning a solid carbonaceous residue, solidified as the byproduct of coal processing and later extended to other carbonization contexts (oil residues, catalysts) in petrochemical industries. First known uses appear in technical literature of coal mining and metallurgy in English texts from Britain and continental Europe, aligning with the expansion of steam-powered steel production and later oil refineries. Over time, coking has become a standard term in refinery process schematics, furnace maintenance, and materials science, with core meaning tied to high-temperature carbon conversion and deposition phenomena.
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Words that rhyme with "coking"
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