2 syllables: grat, ing. Stress on grat.
GRAY-ting
/ˈɡɹeɪtɪŋ/
grating is pronounced GRAY-ting (/ˈɡɹeɪtɪŋ/). It has two syllables (grat-ing), with the stress on "grat". Grating (adjective or noun or verb inflection) describes a harsh, abrasive sound or texture that is irritating to the ear or a surface that rubs harshly. In its adjective sense, it characterizes something that sounds unpleasantly sharp or rasping; as a verb, it denotes causing friction that produces such a sound. The term conveys sensory discomfort and can also imply insistence or tiresome repetitiveness in behavior or presentation.
Grating (adjective or noun or verb inflection) describes a harsh, abrasive sound or texture that is irritating to the ear or a surface that rubs harshly. In its adjective sense, it characterizes something that sounds unpleasantly sharp or rasping; as a verb, it denotes causing friction that produces such a sound. The term conveys sensory discomfort and can also imply insistence or tiresome repetitiveness in behavior or presentation.
- You often mispronounce the vowel as a short /e/ (gr-eh-ting) instead of the diphthong /eɪ/; ensure you glide from /eɪ/ to /t/ cleanly. - The /t/ can be assimilated into a flap or dropped, especially in casual speech; practice with a crisp stop before /ɪŋ/. - The final /ŋ/ should be velar, not nasalized into /ŋk/ or /ŋɡ/; keep the tongue body high at the velar ridge.
"The grating screech of the metal door grated on his nerves."
"Her voice had a grating edge that made polite conversation difficult."
"The kitchen rack created a grating sound every time it moved."
Pronounce as /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/. The primary stress is on the first syllable: GREY-ting. Start with a clean /ɡ/ stop, then /r/ with a light tongue trill, followed by /eɪ/ as in 'day'. The second syllable has a short /ɪ/ and ends with /ŋ/ (the ng sound). Keep the /t/ crisp before the nasal to avoid blending. You can listen to native usage on Pronounce, Forvo, or YouGlish for quick audio references.
Common errors: (1) Dropping the /t/ as in 'gray-ing' or turning it into a flap; (2) mispronouncing /eɪ/ as a short /e/ in American speech; (3) adding an extra /ə/ between /t/ and /ɪ/ (gr-uh-ting). Correction tips: enunciate a clear /t/ before the nasal; hold /eɪ/ as a diphthong rather than a monophthong; ensure the final /ŋ/ is velar instead of nasalized into /ŋk/ or /ŋɡ/. Practice with minimal pairs like GRAY-ting vs gair-ting and record for feedback.
US tends toward strong /ɡreɪtɪŋ/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ onset; UK often similar but with slightly reduced vowel length in casual speech and crisper /t/; Australian typically features a broader diphthong in /reɪ/ and a less rhotic /ɹ/ in some dialects, sometimes sounding closer to /ˈɡrɛɪtɪŋ/ or /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/ with subtle vowel quality shifts. In all, the /ɡ/ and /t/ are clear, but vowel quality and rhotic articulation vary; listen to regional speakers for exact flavor.
Grating is tricky due to the triplet consonant sequence around the vowel: /ɡ/ + /r/ + /eɪ/. In many accents, the /r/ can influence the preceding vowel, making /ɡreɪ/ sound closer to /ɡreɐ/ or /ɡreɪə/. The final /tɪŋ/ cluster requires precise tongue placement to avoid a drawn-out /t/ or a nasalized /ɪ/. Practicing the clean release of /t/ before /ŋ/ helps maintain the crisp, even rhythm of the word.
In connected speech, the /t/ can be unreleased or softened before /ɪŋ/, producing a lighter transition, especially in fast speech. You might hear /ˈɡreɪnɪŋ/ in rapid contexts, but careful enunciation keeps it /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/. Also, the syllable boundary is important for rhythm: you want a clear break between /ˈɡreɪ/ and /tɪŋ/ in formal enunciation to avoid a slurred /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/ that sounds like a monosyllable.
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- US: Keep rhotic /ɹ/ minimal in the /reɪ/ onset; ensure /ɹ/ is non-competitive with the following /eɪ/. Vowel duration around /ɪ/ is relatively short in American English. IPA: /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/. - UK: Might have a clearer /t/ release and slightly clipped /ɪŋ/. Vowel quality can be closer to /eɪ/ with subtle shorter duration. IPA: /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/. - AU: Vowel in /eɪ/ can be slightly broader; /ɹ/ may be non-rhotic depending on the speaker; final /ŋ/ remains strong. IPA: /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/.
Grating comes from Middle English graten, related to grate, which originally meant to rub against a rough surface, scraping or rubbing a surface to remove or grate away material. The word derives from the Old French grater, from Latin craticula meaning a griddle or rack for rubbing or scraping. Over time, the sense broadened from the physical act of rubbing or scraping to the auditory and textural qualities associated with a harsh, rasping sound or surface. The noun sense—an apparatus with a rough surface used to grate—also influenced metaphorical uses, where a sound or voice could be described as grating if it resembled the friction or scraping quality of the device. First known uses in English date from the late Middle Ages, with secular and technical contexts growing in the Renaissance and modern periods, where the word increasingly described both textures and sounds that irritate or grate on the senses.
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Words that rhyme with "grating"
-ing sounds
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