2 syllables: fear, ing. Stress on fear.
FIR-ing
/ˈfɪɹɪŋ/
fearing is pronounced FIR-ing (/ˈfɪɹɪŋ/). It has two syllables (fear-ing), with the stress on "fear". Fearing is the act of feeling fear or apprehension, often in response to a perceived threat. As a verb form functioning as a gerund or present participle, it describes the process or state of being afraid, or the act of being fearful in relation to something specific. The term is frequently used to convey cautious or anxious consideration of potential outcomes.
Fearing is the act of feeling fear or apprehension, often in response to a perceived threat. As a verb form functioning as a gerund or present participle, it describes the process or state of being afraid, or the act of being fearful in relation to something specific. The term is frequently used to convey cautious or anxious consideration of potential outcomes.
- You may substitute the diphthong /ɪə/ with a pure /ɪ/ or /iː/; this flattens the vowel and makes the word sound less natural. Solution: practice the /ɪə/ glide by starting with /ɪ/ then smoothly moving to a higher, mid- or back-vocalization toward /ə/ before the /r/ onset. - The /r/ can be devoiced or dropped in non-rhotic dialects; ensure you produce a light, audible rhotic if you’re aiming for US pronunciation. Solution: sustain a light post-vocalic /ɹ/ rather than removing it. - Final /ŋ/ should be a clear nasal; some speakers merge or terminate too abruptly. Solution: push a tiny nasal closure before the velar stop and keep the sound continuous.
"She was fearing the worst after hearing the news."
"Fearing for her safety, she stayed indoors."
"He kept fearing that he would miss the final deadline."
Pronounce it as /ˈfɪərɪŋ/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on the first syllable. In careful pronunciation you’ll hear a two-part onset: /f/ followed by a stressed /ɪə/ vowel that glides to /r/ and ends with /ɪŋ/. In rapid speech some speakers reduce /ɪə/ toward /ɪə/. Audio reference: compare with ‘feeling’ and ‘bearing’ to feel the /ɪə/ diphthong transitioning into -ing.
Common errors: misplacing stress (e.g., /ˈfaɪərɪŋ/ like ‘firing’), inaccurate /ɪə/ diphthong (treating it as /ɪ/ or /eɪ/), and dropping the /r/ in rhotic accents. Correction: keep the first syllable with a clear /ɪə/ glide not a pure /ɪ/; ensure the /r/ is pronounced in rhotic contexts; finish with a crisp /ŋ/ without nasalization before a following consonant. Practicing minimal pairs helps lock in the correct vowel quality and r-coloring.
In rhotic American English, /ˈfɪrɪŋ/ often surfaces with a rhotic /r/ after the vowel, while in non-rhotic British English you may hear /ˈfɪə.rɪŋ/ with a non-rhotic pronouncing the /r/ as non-aural, linking to the following syllable. Australian English tends to maintain a more centralized /ɪə/ but with less vowel length than US; overall: US /ˈfɪrɪŋ/, UK /ˈfɪə.rɪŋ/, AU /ˈfɪəɾɪŋ/– note that Australian may show alveolar approximant realization of /r/ in some speakers. IPA references: US /ˈfɪrɪŋ/, UK /ˈfɪə.rɪŋ/, AU /ˈfɪəɹɪŋ/.
Key challenges: maintaining the diphthong /ɪə/ (or /ɪə/), ensuring the /r/ is present in rhotic accents without overemphasizing or flattening it, and keeping final -ing nasal cluster unobstructed. Difficulty also comes from the transition between /ɪə/ and /r/ in rapid speech, which can blur. Focus on a clear, two-part nucleus—first a rounded glide into a central vowel before /r/—then a clean /ŋ/.
No silent letters in the standard pronunciation. Every phoneme contributes: /f/ onset, /ɪə/ diphthong nucleus (or /ɪə/ sequence), /r/ rhotic approximant, and final /ŋ/ nasal. In rapid or casual speech, the /ɪə/ may reduce toward /ɪ/ or a schwa-like sound, but you still articulate all phonemes distinctly in careful speech.
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US: rhotic /ɹ/ with a fuller /ɪr/ nucleus; UK: non-rhotic tendency; AU: mid-to-high vowel diphthong quality, often with less centralized /ɪə/. For all: keep the tongue high-mid for /ɪə/ diphthong, with the /r/ color. Use IPA as reference, practice linking to following words like fear-ing: /ˈfɪər.ɪŋ/ vs /ˈfɪə.rɪŋ/.
Fearing derives from the verb fear, with the present participle ending -ing. The root word fear comes from Old English færan (to terrify, cause fear) and Proto-Germanic *faurjanan, related to Proto-Indo-European *per- meaning to try or to fear. The concept of fear itself transcends languages and has cognates across Germanic and Romance tongues. In Middle English, fearing appeared as a gerund or present participle form of the verb fear, indicating ongoing action or state. By the early modern period, fearing was well established in English usage to describe ongoing apprehension about future events, dangers, or outcomes. The word has retained its core meaning of an emotional response tied to perceived threat, while also functioning flexibly in clauses to express causal or conditional relationships (e.g., fearing that, feared for). Today, fearing is common in both formal and informal contexts, retaining its gerundial nuance to describe ongoing worry or concern in relation to a specific subject or situation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "fearing" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "fearing" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "fearing"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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