2 syllables: drip, ping. Stress on drip.
DRIP-ing
/ˈdɹɪpɪŋ/
dripping is pronounced DRIP-ing (/ˈdɹɪpɪŋ/). It has two syllables (drip-ping), with the stress on "drip". Dripping is the present participle of drip, describing the act of liquid falling in drops or a quality characterized by being wet with moisture. In everyday use, it can describe a leak, a conversation tone that’s flowing too freely, or in fashion/colloquial contexts, something stylishly moody. The term often appears in descriptions of sound, texture, or action—emphasizing a slow, steady, and audible release of liquid.
Dripping is the present participle of drip, describing the act of liquid falling in drops or a quality characterized by being wet with moisture. In everyday use, it can describe a leak, a conversation tone that’s flowing too freely, or in fashion/colloquial contexts, something stylishly moody. The term often appears in descriptions of sound, texture, or action—emphasizing a slow, steady, and audible release of liquid.
- You might over-emphasize the second syllable, turning it into /drɪˈpiːŋ/; instead keep /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/ with a short, unstressed second syllable. - The transition from /p/ to /ɪ/ can be choppy if you stop the air too soon after /p/. Practice a clean, immediate /p/ release into /ɪ/. - Nasal leakage or overly nasal /ŋ/ can blur the word. Aim for a crisp /ɪ/ before nasal /ŋ/ without extra nasalization in the vowel.
"The faucet is dripping again, and I can hear it from the kitchen."
"Her dripping candle melted and left a small pool on the counter."
"The rain was dripping from the eaves after the storm."
Pronounce as /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/. The primary stress is on DRIP- (the first syllable). Start with a short, lax “d” followed by a short “ri” as in kit, then a crisp /p/ followed by a reduced /ɪŋ/ cluster. In connected speech, the second vowel may be reduced to a schwa [ˈdrəpɪŋ] in very casual speech, but careful enunciation keeps /ɪ/ before the -ng. Audio: think of the single, crisp onset /dr/ and a stop /p/ before the nasal /-ɪŋ/.
Common mistakes include lengthening the second syllable or turning the /ɪ/ into an /iː/ like 'drip-eeng', and misplacing the primary stress. Another error is inserting an extra vowel between /p/ and /ɪŋ, saying /ˈdrɪpɪɥŋ/ or /ˈdrɪp ɪŋ/ with a break. To correct: keep /ˈdrɪp/ as a closed syllable, then /ɪŋ/ without a separate vowel before the nasal. Practice transitions from /p/ to /ɪ/ smoothly, and ensure the /ɪ/ is a short, lax vowel rather than a full /iː/.
US: /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/, rhotic 'r' is not involved; vowel quality in /ɪ/ is more centralized. UK: /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/ with a slightly crisper /p/ release; non-rhotic otherwise. AU: /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/ but with more relaxed vowel height and quicker intonation; the /ɪ/ can be a bit more centralized. Across all, the final -ing retains /ɪŋ/; the main differences are vowel quality and intonation, not the core consonants. IPA guides help solidify distinctions when training cross-dialect listening.
Two main challenges: the /dr/ cluster at the start requires precise tongue positioning—the d is alveolar with the tongue tip, then the r influences the following vowel’s resonance; and the transition from /p/ to /ɪ/ can be abrupt if you release the /p/ too strongly. Additionally, the final /-ɪŋ/ can pull the mouth into a nasalized vowel; controlling nasal emission and mouth openness helps avoid a muffled or elongated end. Focus on a clean /p/ release directly into /ɪ/ before nasal /ŋ/.
In rapid speech, you may reduce the second syllable slightly, so /ˈdrɪp.ɪŋ/ becomes /ˈdrɪp.n̩/ or /ˈdrɪpɪŋ/ with shorter /ɪ/ and less enunciation on /ɪŋ/. The onset stays the same, but the vowel length and the rhythm compress due to connected speech. Keeping the primary stress on the first syllable helps clarity in fast speech.
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- US: emphasize the first syllable with a firmer /ɪ/ quality; the /ɪ/ in the second syllable is shorter and lax. - UK: crisper /p/ release and slightly sharper vowel transitions; keep /ɪ/ compact before /ŋ/. - AU: more centralized, relaxed mouth posture; the /ɪ/ can be slightly reduced; maintain the /p/ to /ɪ/ transition without adding vowels. All: keep the final /-ŋ/ nasal smooth and unvoiced until the end of the word.
The verb drip originates from Old English dripian, related to Dutch druipen and German tropfen, all tied to the proto-Germanic *drippan* meaning 'to drip or to drop.' Dripping as a present-participle form follows the standard derivation: base verb drip + -ing. Early senses of drip referred to liquid falling in droplets; by the 18th- and 19th-century corpus, dripping also described continuous leaking or splashing sounds, and in modern idioms it broadens to metaphorical moisture or stylish, “drip” slang for attractiveness, especially in fashion culture. The radical sense of steady release or flow remains central. The term’s first known written uses surface in English texts from the late medieval period, but the form drip and related inflections occur in various Germanic languages well before standardized dictionaries. Over centuries, “dripping” has maintained its literal sense (water, sap, paint) and gained metaphorical and colloquial overlays in pop culture. In contemporary use, dripping often conveys persistence and a small, ongoing action—the sound and rhythm of continuous drops create a perceptible cadence in speech or writing.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "dripping" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "dripping"
-ing sounds
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