4 syllables: ex, er, cis, ing. Stress on ex.
EK-sur-seye-zing
/ˈɛksɚˌsaɪzɪŋ/
exercising is pronounced EK-sur-seye-zing (/ˈɛksɚˌsaɪzɪŋ/). It has four syllables (ex-er-cis-ing), with the stress on "ex". Exercising refers to engaging in physical activity to improve fitness, health, or skill. It describes the ongoing action of moving the body, often with deliberate patterns or routines, typically for endurance, strength, or flexibility. The term can also imply practicing or applying a principle through physical effort. As a gerund form, it emphasizes the activity itself rather than a specific instance.
Exercising refers to engaging in physical activity to improve fitness, health, or skill. It describes the ongoing action of moving the body, often with deliberate patterns or routines, typically for endurance, strength, or flexibility. The term can also imply practicing or applying a principle through physical effort. As a gerund form, it emphasizes the activity itself rather than a specific instance.
- You may over-compress the second syllable (/sər/) into a schwa cluster, making it sound like /ɛk sərˈsaɪzɪŋ/ instead of clearly articulating /sər/. Keep a quick, but audible, /sər/ with a light rhotacized or non-rhotacized affect depending on your accent. - Mispronouncing the -zing ending as /zɪn/ or /zəŋ/ instead of /zɪŋ/. Emphasize the /ɪŋ/ and keep the z voiced before the velar nasal /ŋ/. - Stress misplacement: placing primary stress on the second syllable (exercising) should be on the first syllable. Slow it down to practice the sequence: /ˈɛk/ + /sər/ + /saɪzɪŋ/. - Linking errors: in connected speech, you might merge /saɪ/ with the following word beginning with a vowel; practice with common continuations like 'exercising options' to maintain clear boundaries.
"I am exercising every morning to stay in shape."
"She is exercising caution when approaching the fragile artifact."
"The class focuses on cardio and strengthening exercises."
Pronounce it as /ˈɛk sərˌsaɪzɪŋ/ in US/UK variation: primary stress on the first syllable. Breakdown: /ˈɛk/ (short e, “ehk”), /sər/ (schwa+r: quick, reduced second syllable), /ˌsaɪ/ (high long I diphthong), /zɪŋ/ (voiced z with -ing. Mouth position: start with a stop after /k/ release, then neutral vowel in schwa, then a clear /saɪ/ with a rounded jaw for the tongue high-mid, and end with /z/ before the velar nasal /ŋ/. Practical tip: emphasize the /ˈɛk/ and ensure the /z/ in -zing is voiced; avoid turning into /ɪzɪŋ/ by keeping the /aɪ/ glide distinct.
Common errors: 1) Dropping or softening the final -zing to -zin, producing /ˈɛk sərˌsaɪzɪn/. 2) Misplacing stress, as in /ˈɛk sərˌzɪzɪŋ/ or /ˈɛk sərˌsaɪzɪŋ/ with wrong syllable emphasis. 3) Slurring the /k/ into the /s/ producing /ˈeksərˌsaɪzɪŋ/. Correction: clearly articulate /k/ before /s/ and keep the primary stress on the first syllable; maintain the /ɪŋ/ ending as a voiced nasal+velar. Practice with isolated segments and slow repetition to lock the pattern.
US tends to rhotics and a lighter secondary stress; UK may have a more clipped first syllable and slightly reduced /r/ (non-rhotic). Australian often has a broader vowel in /e/ and a more centralized schwa in the second syllable; the final -ing often reduces to /ɪŋ/ with less /z/ energy in informal speech. In all, the /ˈɛk sərˌsaɪzɪŋ/ skeleton remains, but vowels and rhoticity influence vowel color and the visibility of /r/ or absence depending on accent.
It combines a closed consonant cluster /k s/ before a stressed long diphthong /aɪ/ and a voiced -ing suffix /zɪŋ/. The challenge is keeping the /k/ and /s/ distinct and not de-voicing the /z/ at the start of -zing, while sustaining the /aɪ/ without tipping into /i/ or /eɪ/. Another difficulty is managing the rapid transition from the syllable boundary to -zɪŋ in fluent speech; practice anchors the timing of the syllables.
A unique focus is the subtle /d/ or /t/ assimilation before the -s in casual speech; sound shifts like /z/ or /ʒ/ are rare but possible in rapid connected speech, especially if followed by a vowel-initial word (exercising options). More importantly, maintain the primary stress on the first syllable and ensure the /ˈɛk/ is crisp to anchor the word in listening contexts.
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- US: rhotic, more prominent /ɹ/ coloring; expect a darker /ɹ/ in /sər/; practice preserving the schwa in the second syllable. IPA: /ˈɛkərˌsaɪzɪŋ/ or /ˈɛk sərˌsaɪzɪŋ/. - UK: non-rhotic; /sə/ may reduce; pronounce /ˈɛksəsaɪzɪŋ/ with less overt rhoticity, keeping the /ɪŋ/ ending clear. - AU: broad vowels, /e/ or /ɪ/ variation; maintain /ˈɛk səˌsaɪzɪŋ/ with relaxed jaw, softer vowel in /ə/. - Focus on final cluster /zɪŋ/ to keep voiced s and nasal together; avoid voiceless /sɪŋ/ by ensuring the /z/ is voiced and the tongue stays near alveolar ridge for the /z/.
Exercising comes from the verb exercise, forged in Middle English from Old French excercier (to exercise, practice) from Latin exercitare (to busy oneself, exercise, train). The Latin ex- (out, thoroughly) plus ars, artis (skill, craft) contributed to the sense of training or practice. The form -ising as a present participle/gerund arises from Old French -isant and Latin -ans, adapting in English to indicate ongoing action. Early English usage in the 14th–15th centuries framed exercise as “practice or discipline” and later narrowed to physical training in the 18th–19th centuries with the rise of organized fitness. Over time, exercising has broadened to encompass mental exercises and skill drills, but in contemporary usage it most commonly refers to physical activity aimed at improving health or performance.
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Words that rhyme with "exercising"
-ing sounds
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