2 syllables: com, ing. Stress on com.
KUHM-ing
/ˈkʌmɪŋ/
coming is pronounced KUHM-ing (/ˈkʌmɪŋ/). It has two syllables (com-ing), with the stress on "com". Coming is the present participle of come, indicating movement toward a place or event, or used as an adjective in phrases like 'coming year.' It signals nearness or imminence and functions across verb phrases, adjectival uses, and compound constructions. In pronunciation, it is a two-syllable word with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ in typical American and British speech, with a reduced, unstressed second syllable.
Coming is the present participle of come, indicating movement toward a place or event, or used as an adjective in phrases like 'coming year.' It signals nearness or imminence and functions across verb phrases, adjectival uses, and compound constructions. In pronunciation, it is a two-syllable word with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ in typical American and British speech, with a reduced, unstressed second syllable.
"We are coming to the party later."
"The coming year will bring new opportunities."
"Her coming arrival was announced on the radio."
pronounced as /ˈkʌmɪŋ/. The first syllable carries primary stress: 'KUM-' with /ʌ/ as in 'cup.' The second syllable is a quick 'ming' with a short /ɪ/ and a velar nasal /ŋ/. Keep the tongue low in the first vowel and finish with the soft nasal /ŋ/. You can hear this in casual speech by saying 'KUM-ing' quickly and smoothly.
Two frequent errors are: (1) over-pronouncing the second syllable, making it 'KUM-EE-ing' with a drawn-out /iː/; (2) misplacing the vowel in the first syllable, saying /kɒm/ like ‘cot’ instead of /ˈkʌ/. Correction: keep the first vowel as a short /ʌ/ (as in 'cup') and shorten the second syllable to a quick /ɪŋ/, not /iŋ/. Practicing with a minimal pair like 'come' vs 'comings' helps connect the root to the gerund form.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ remains, but vowel quality of /ʌ/ can vary (toward a more centralized /ə/ in some US dialects and more open /ʌ/ in others). The rhotics influence consonant clarity in connected speech. Australians may produce slightly flatter intonation with a quicker /ɪŋ/ closure. The /ŋ/ remains velar across these accents. The primary difference is vowel quality and rhythm rather than phoneme changes.
The challenge lies in the quick transition from the open-mid /ʌ/ vowel to the short /ɪ/ before the final velar nasal /ŋ/. The mouth must shift from a low-mid central tongue position to a higher, near-high position rapidly, keeping the /ɪ/ brief. In fast speech, the /ɪ/ can be shortened or reduced. Also, the /ŋ/ closure at the end can blend with the preceding /m/ if not timed well. Focus on the two-syllable rhythm and the short, clipped second vowel.
Is the 'coming' form ever pronounced with a strong /kɔm/ in some dialects?
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US: rhoticity typically keeps /r/ out of the word; your main concern is maintaining the /ʌ/ and short /ɪ/; UK: you may hear slightly tenser vowels and crisper /ɪ/; AU: vowel quality tends toward a lighter, more centralized /ʌ/ and a quicker transition to /ŋ/; All: maintain two-stress structure, keep the rhythm tight.
The word come originates from Old English cuman, related to Old High German kumen and Dutch komen, all from the Proto-Germanic root *kuman- meaning ‘to move toward’ or ‘arrive.’ The present participle ending -ing was affixed in Middle English with verbs that already existed as stems, producing forms like coming. The sense of immediate proximity or imminent event evolved as the participle began to function as a modifier and gerund, linking movement toward or arrival with time frames (e.g., coming year). Over centuries, pronunciation cooled through Great Vowel Shift influences, but the initial stressed syllable /ˈkʌm-/ remained stable. First attested written form of ‘coming’ appears in late Old English and early Middle English texts, aligned with other -ing participles. By early modern English, ‘coming’ as a non-finite form and adjective usage was common in both liturgical and everyday language, and has maintained its core semantic bundle—motion toward, arrival, imminence—into contemporary English, with slight regional variation in vowel quality and rhoticity.
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Help others use "coming" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "coming" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "coming" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "coming"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
