Gasping refers to drawing in a quick, sharp intake of breath, usually in response to surprise, distress, or exertion. It can describe a momentary, audible breath or an ongoing act of taking rapid breaths. The term often conveys urgency or strong emotion and is used in both literal and figurative contexts.
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"He was gasping for air after the marathon."
"She let out a surprised gasp, then began to laugh."
"The fish gasped at the surface, struggling to reach the air."
"In the drama, the character ends with a gasping cry that echoes through the hall."
Gasping comes from the verb gasp, which dates back to Middle English gasen, meaning to blow or exhale abruptly, with roots possibly linked to Old Norse gasa or Dutch gasen, denoting a sudden intake of breath. The -ing form originated in English to create ongoing or progressive aspect or gerund participles. Over time, gasp has developed nuanced meanings: literal breath intake in moments of exertion or fear, and metaphorical uses like ‘gasping for attention’ where the breath is symbolic of effort. The exact historical first use is murky, but the word appears in Middle English texts by the 14th century, aligning with similar Germanic roots that emphasize abrupt, short breaths. By early modern English, gasping had solidified as both a description of physical action and a dramatic expression in literature, maintaining its core sense of a rapid, audible inhalation.
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Words that rhyme with "gasping"
-ing sounds
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Pronounce as GAS-ping with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA for US: /ˈɡæs.pɪŋ/, UK: /ˈɡɑː.spɪŋ/, AU: /ˈɡæspɪŋ/. Start with a hard /ɡ/ in 'go', then the short /æ/ (US) or /ɑː/ (UK), followed by a light /s/ cluster, and finally /pɪŋ/. The second syllable uses a reduced, quick /pɪŋ/ with a released stop. Make sure the /æ/ or /ɑː/ is short and not prolonged. You’ll want a crisp onset and an audible but concise inhalation if you’re simulating the breathy gasping.
Two common mistakes: (1) Over-distending the vowel in the first syllable, making it /æː/ or /ɑː/ across dialects; keep it short as /æ/ (US) or /ɑː/ (UK) but not extended. (2) Dropping the /ŋ/ or making it into /gæs-pɪn/ without the final /ŋ/ sound; ensure the final nasal is fully nasalized. Correction: maintain /ŋ/ as a velar nasal at the end, softly releasing the /ŋ/ after /ɪ/. Practice with a quick, closed mouth for the nasal sound and a clean stop before it.
US: /ˈɡæs.pɪŋ/ with a short /æ/ and a clearly enunciated /s/; rhotic, but the /r/ is not involved here. UK: /ˈɡɑː.spɪŋ/ features a long /ɑː/ in the first syllable and a crisper /s/. AU: /ˈɡæs.pɪŋ/ similar to US but with wider vowel variety; some speakers may have a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Across accents, the key is vowel quality in the first syllable and maintaining the /ŋ/ at the end; non-rhotic tendencies affect perceptual rhoticity only in surrounding vowels.
The difficulty lies in balancing a quick, natural onset with a crisp /s/ before a final nasal; the transition from the alveolar fricative /s/ to the velar nasal /ŋ/ is delicate, and many speakers insert an extra vowel or shorten/lengthen the first vowel unnaturally. Additionally, keeping the first vowel crisp without drifting into a longer vowel requires control of jaw tension and tongue position. Focus on a short, tense /æ/ or /ɑː/ followed immediately by /s/ and a clean /ŋ/ release.
The unique stress pattern is on the first syllable, with a quick, almost clipped second syllable. The challenge is the final /ŋ/ cluster: ensure the velar nasal is fully produced without a vowel before it. Also, ensure the alveolar /s/ is clearly heard as a separate consonant before the /p/ onset of the second syllable, avoiding a blended or muffled sound. Maintain a clean flow from /æ/ or /ɑː/ through /s/ to /ŋ/.
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