2 syllables: frown, ing. Stress on frown.
FROW-ning
/ˈfɹaʊnɪŋ/
frowning is pronounced FROW-ning (/ˈfɹaʊnɪŋ/). It has two syllables (frown-ing), with the stress on "frown". Frowning is the act of turning the corners of the mouth downward, often accompanied by furrowing the brow, to express displeasure, worry, or concentration. It is a facial expression produced by the coordinated action of several facial muscles, notably the corrugator supercilii and orbicularis oris. In speech terms, it can co-occur with lowered intonation or emphasis in connected speech when conveying negative emotion or skepticism.
Frowning is the act of turning the corners of the mouth downward, often accompanied by furrowing the brow, to express displeasure, worry, or concentration. It is a facial expression produced by the coordinated action of several facial muscles, notably the corrugator supercilii and orbicularis oris. In speech terms, it can co-occur with lowered intonation or emphasis in connected speech when conveying negative emotion or skepticism.
- You often neutralize the diphthong by flattening /aʊ/ into a simple /a/ or /ɒ/ sound. Result: 'frøn-ing' lacking the characteristic rise of /aʊ/. Tip: exaggerate the rise from /a/ to /ʊ/ but keep it brief; aim for a quick, curved glide. - The final /ŋ/ is easily omitted in rapid speech; you might say 'froun-ing' or 'froun-in'. Tip:practice holding the velar nasal for a brief beat: /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/ with a firm /ŋ/ at the end. - The initial /fr/ cluster can be de-voiced or clipped; you might say /fr/ with a weak /r/. Tip: keep the /f/ and /r/ clean and connected, not separate phonemes; picture the mouth making a short burst for /f/ then a quick /r/ without vowel between.
"She was frowning at the screen, trying to read the tiny print."
"During the meeting, he was frowning, clearly skeptical of the proposal."
"Her frowning expression softened only when the news finally came through."
You say /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/. The stress is on the first syllable: FRAU-ning. Start with the diphthong /aʊ/ as in 'own' or 'how', then a short /n/ and the final /ɪŋ/ (the 'ing' of 'sing'). Your mouth starts open for the /f/ and /r/ sequence, slides into a rounded /aʊ/ diphthong, then closes for /n/ and finishes with /ŋ/. Listen for the rapid transition from /aʊ/ to /nɪŋ/ without adding an extra vowel between. For a quick cue, think: “frau-n-ing.”
Common errors: 1) Misplacing the /aɪ/ or /aʊ/ vowel and saying /fraɪnɪŋ/ or /fraʊənɪŋ/ with an extra syllable. Correction: keep /aʊ/ as a tight diphthong /aʊ/ in /fraʊ/ and immediately release into /nɪŋ/. 2) Missing the final /ŋ/ by articulating an /ɪ/ or /ŋk/ at the end. Correction: finish with a clean velar nasal /ŋ/, not a stop. 3) Weak initial /f/ or over-aspirated /f/ followed by /r/. Correction: maintain a light, immediate /f r/ sequence without overemphasizing either. Practice with minimal pairs like /fraʊn/ vs /fraʊn/ to anchor the /ŋ/.
US/UK/AU share /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/ with the /aʊ/ diphthong, but rhoticity matters in surrounding vowels; US accents may show stronger rhotic vowel coloration in neighboring syllables, while UK and AU tend to be non-rhotic in some contexts, which can affect adjacent vowels and linking. The /r/ is often not pronounced in non-rhotic UK and some AU pronunciations when not followed by a vowel, but in /fraʊnɪŋ/ the /r/ is part of the /fr/ cluster; in practice most speakers produce the /fr/ without a fully pronounced post-vocalic /r/. Vowel quality and flapping can also influence the perceived sound slightly between dialects.
The challenge lies in coordinating the diphthong /aʊ/ with a swift transition into the alveolar nasal /n/ followed by the velar nasal /ŋ/, all while maintaining a clean initial /f/ and /r/ blend. The tongue moves from a rounded position for /r/ toward a lower, more open position for /aʊ/, then snaps to a high front position for /n/ and finally a velar nasal /ŋ/, requiring precise timing and airflow control. That rapid chain makes it easy to mispronounce as /fraɪnɪŋ/ or to drop the /ŋ/.
In frowning, the vowel in the first syllable is a single stressed /aʊ/ diphthong; there is no separate 'o' sound. The perceived openness comes from the initial /f/ and the /r/ cluster before the diphthong. The 'o' effect is a function of English spelling, not a separate phoneme—what you hear is the /aʊ/ glide. Focus on straightening the /aʊ/ transition into /nɪŋ/ rather than inserting an extra vowel.
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- In US English, you may hear a slightly stronger rhotic influence across surrounding vowels; in UK English, the /r/ after a vowel is often non-rhotic unless followed by a vowel, so you may perceive subtler /r/ coloring. Australian English tends to be non-rhotic in many contexts, with vowel quality similar to UK but lighter rhythm. For /fraʊnɪŋ/ specifically, the key is the diphthong /aʊ/ and the nasal endings; you’ll want to ensure /ŋ/ is clear in all accents. IPA references: US /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/, UK /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/, AU /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/.
The word frowning derives from the verb frown, which originates in Middle English from the Old English frānian, related to the Proto-Germanic *frēwaną meaning 'to wrinkle the brow' though exact etymology is debated. The root frown itself can be traced to Proto-Germanic *frūwaną, connected with expressions of displeasure and lowering of the brows. The sense expansion to refer to a facial expression intensified in early modern usage, with frowning as the ongoing action (gerund) forming by adding -ing in English to denote the present participle. First attested senses describe a physical contortion of the mouth and brows to signal disapproval; over time, the word broadened to depict negative emotion in general and, by extension, to describe a pensive or concerned demeanor as well as literal sadness. In literature, frowning appears in moral evaluation, warning signals, and nonverbal communication studies. By the 19th and 20th centuries, frowning became a standard term in psychological and sociolinguistic descriptions of facial expression, closely tied to talk about emotion signaling and social perception. Today, frowning is understood as a compound action of several facial muscles that not only conveys mood but can influence perceived credibility and empathy in interpersonal interactions.
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Words that rhyme with "frowning"
-ing sounds
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