3 syllables: de, creas, ing. Stress on creas.
dik-REE-sing
/dɪˈkɹisɪŋ/
decreasing is pronounced dik-REE-sing (/dɪˈkɹisɪŋ/). It has three syllables (de-creas-ing), with the stress on "creas". Decreasing describes a process or trend that is diminishing in size, amount, intensity, or frequency. It often functions as an adjective or present participle and can describe data, rates, or quantities, indicating a downward movement or reduction over time. In everyday use, it conveys gradual decline rather than abrupt change, and it appears in contexts ranging from statistics to quality control.
Decreasing describes a process or trend that is diminishing in size, amount, intensity, or frequency. It often functions as an adjective or present participle and can describe data, rates, or quantities, indicating a downward movement or reduction over time. In everyday use, it conveys gradual decline rather than abrupt change, and it appears in contexts ranging from statistics to quality control.
- You often misplace the primary stress on the first syllable, yielding de-CREAS-ing. Hold the second syllable with clear /ˈkriː/ and release into /sɪŋ/ to avoid a clipped ending. - Another mistake is mispronouncing /kriː/ as /kri/ or merging /iː/ with /ɪ/. Keep the long /iː/ clearly voiced. - Finally, rushing the ending /sɪŋ/ can turn it into /sɪŋ/ or /siŋ/. Practice with a slow tempo, then add natural speed, ensuring /s/ and /ɪ/ are both audible.
"The decreasing temperature caused condensation to form on the windows."
"Sales numbers are decreasing, so we’re adjusting our marketing strategy."
"There has been a decreasing trend in crime rates over the past decade."
Pronounce as /dɪˈkriː.sɪŋ/ (US/UK) with primary stress on the second syllable. Start with /dɪ/ (short i), then /ˈkriː/ (long ee) followed by /sɪŋ/ (sihng). In connected speech, the middle /iː/ can be slightly shorter, but keep the long vowel in /kriː/. Audio reference: imagine saying 'de-CREE-sing' with emphasis on the 'crea' part. IPA: US/UK /dɪˈkriː.sɪŋ/; AU mirrors this pattern.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress, saying de-CREAS-ing or de-crea-SING, which reduces intelligibility. 2) Slurring /ˈkriː/ into /kris/ or pronouncing /sɪŋ/ as /sɪn/. 3) Vowel length issues—keeping /iː/ too short or compressing the vowel into /ɪ/. Corrections: emphasize the second syllable with /ˈkriː/ and maintain a clear /iː/ quality, then release /sɪŋ/ crisply. Practice by isolating /dɪ/ + /ˈkriː/ + /sɪŋ/ and using slow tempo.
US/UK/AU share /dɪˈkriː.sɪŋ/ with primary stress on the second syllable, but differences arise in rhotics and vowel quality. US tends to be rhotic with a slightly more pronounced 'r' influence in adjacent syllables and a tighter /ɪ/ in unstressed positions. UK often features non-rhoticity, so linking may reduce the r-like effect and keep crisp /kriː/. Australian may exhibit broader vowel quality and a more centralized /ɪ/ in some contexts, with softer /ˈkriː/ due to free vowels. Overall, the main vowel /iː/ remains long across regions.
Difficulty stems from the two consecutive syllables with a long vowel in the second ( /ˈkriː/ ), and the ending /sɪŋ/ that blends with the preceding /iː/ in fast speech. The cluster /kr/ after /dɪ/ can cause lip-tension issues, and the tempo shift from /dɪ/ to /ˈkriː/ requires precise timing. Focus on maintaining a clear long /iː/ before the /s/ and avoiding compressing /ɪŋ/ into /ŋ/ alone. Consistent practice with slow to normal tempo improves accuracy.
A unique aspect is the two-level stress dynamic: while main stress falls on the second syllable, the preceding /dɪ/ commonly remains unstressed but still clearly enunciated. This dual-stress pattern can cause a quick temporal gap between /dɪ/ and /ˈkriː/ in fast speech. To master it, practice with deliberate slow tempo, then gradually increase speed while preserving the strong second-syllable stress and a distinct onset closing to /k/.
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- US: rhotic tendencies can give a slightly more pronounced r-influenced processing nearby; keep /dɪ/ crisp and avoid turning /d/ into a flap. - UK: non-rhotic tendencies may reduce any 'r-like' effect; keep the /kriː/ crisp with a clear long /iː/. - AU: broader vowel quality; keep the /iː/ length but prepare for a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ in rapid speech. In all accents, maintain the /ˈkriː/ nucleus and ensure the final /ŋ/ is velar nasal with a gentle touch.
Decreasing comes from the verb decrease, which originates in Middle English decressen, from Old French decrecer, Deo crede? actually from late Latin decrescere, from de- (down, away) + crescere (to grow). The Latin root crescere carried the sense of growth, which, when negated and prefixed by de-, shifts to a notion of diminishing. The present participle suffix -ing was added in English to form decreasing as an -ing participle/adjective, aligning with modern usage as a modifier or noun adjunct. The first attested uses in English date to the 15th-16th centuries, with early medical and economic texts employing forms akin to decreasing to describe falling rates or quantities. Over time, decreasing has become a common everyday descriptor in scientific, statistical, and general discourse, retaining the core idea of downward movement from a higher level to a lower one.
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Words that rhyme with "decreasing"
-no) sounds
-ing sounds
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