3 syllables: con, sum, ing. Stress on sum.
kuhn-SOO-ming
/kəˈnsumɪŋ/
consuming is pronounced kuhn-SOO-ming (/kəˈnsumɪŋ/). It has three syllables (con-sum-ing), with the stress on "sum". Consuming refers to the act of eating or ingesting something, or, in a broader sense, using up resources or time. The term commonly appears in contexts about food, materials, or attention being absorbed or exhausted. It emphasizes process and impact, rather than the end result. It can function as an adjective (consuming hunger) or a verb form in progressive constructions (consuming the meal).
Consuming refers to the act of eating or ingesting something, or, in a broader sense, using up resources or time. The term commonly appears in contexts about food, materials, or attention being absorbed or exhausted. It emphasizes process and impact, rather than the end result. It can function as an adjective (consuming hunger) or a verb form in progressive constructions (consuming the meal).
"The restaurant was delicious, and the consuming of the entire plate left me satisfied."
"Her research involved consuming data from multiple sources to draw conclusions."
"The movie was emotionally consuming, keeping the audience on edge."
Pronounce as /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/ in US/UK/AU. The primary stress falls on the second syllable: con-SUM-ing, with the vowel in the second syllable as /juː/ or /juːm/ sequence as in 'you' + 'm'—essentially /sjuː/ sounds like “shew” without t. The first syllable is a reduced /kən/ (uh-n). The final -ing is /ɪŋ/. In connected speech, you may hear /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/ with slight vowel reduction in fast speech.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (singing con-SUM-ing vs CO-nSUM-ing), mispronouncing the /sjuː/ cluster as /su/ or /sju/ with a hard y sound, and slurring the final -ing so it sounds like -ing rather than the clear /ɪŋ/. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with /ˈsjuː/ after /kən/ and maintain the /m/ immediately before /ɪŋ/. Practice with slow, deliberate syllable separation before blending.
US/UK/AU share /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/, but rhotic vs non-rhotic effects appear in surrounding speech. US tends to full rhoticity in connected speech; UK often reduces unstressed vowels slightly and may have a crisper /ʃ/? No, /sjuː/ remains. Australian tends to vowel subtleties with a more centralized /ə/ in the first syllable and a slightly broader /juː/ articulation. Overall, the nucleus /juː/ remains stable; stress on the second syllable, with subtle vowel quality differences.
Two challenges: the /sjuː/ cluster (the /s/ + /j/ sequence) can trip your tongue when there is a preceding schwa, and final -ing often reduces to /ɪŋ/ with elided vowel in rapid speech, causing consonant blends. Focus on: keeping /s/ and /j/ distinct, producing /juː/ as a single glide, and ensuring the final /ɪŋ/ is audible. Slow practice helps you embed the exact articulation.
There is no silent letter in consuming. Each letter contributes to the phonetic sequence /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/: k for /k/, o for /ə/, n for /n/, s for /s/, u for /juː/ (the /j/ and /uː/ combine), m for /m/, i for /ɪ/ and ng for /ŋ/. The challenge is coordinating the /sjuː/ cluster and the /ɪŋ/ ending in fluent speech.
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US: rhotic, clearer /ər/ in nearby words; UK: slightly crisper /juː/ and more fronted /ə/; AU: broader vowels, subtlealization; Vowel details: /ə/ reduces; /ˈsjuː/ stays, but American /juː/ may be closer to /uː/ for some speakers in rapid speech. IPA references: US /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/, UK /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/, AU /kənˈsjuːmɪŋ/. Accent differences are largely in surrounding vowel quality and rhythm, not core phoneme changes.
Consuming derives from the verb consume, from Latin consumere, composed of com- (together, thoroughly) and sumere (take, take up). The earliest English usage appears in the 13th century, linked to “to eat up” or “to waste away.” Over time, semantics broadened to include interior processes such as ‘consuming one’s time’ or ‘consuming resources,’ shifting emphasis from physical intake to end-use or expenditure. In modern usage, consuming frequently connotes immersive or tiring engagement, whether with food, activities, or ideas. The present participle form, consuming, indicates ongoing action or an effect that is absorbing attention or resources. The word’s cognitive load has intensified in digital-age discourse, where media consumption, energy consumption, and attention consumption describe prevalent patterns in daily life. The phrase appears in both formal analysis and everyday speech, though collocations shift with domain—culinary, finance, psychology, and media studies all employ the term with domain-specific nuance. First known uses surface in religious, culinary, and legal texts, but its current sense of immersive exhaustiveness is a product of centuries of semantic expansion.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "consuming" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "consuming"
-ing sounds
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