2 syllables: hou, sing. Stress on hou.
HOW-zing
/ˈhaʊzɪŋ/
housing is pronounced HOW-zing (/ˈhaʊzɪŋ/). It has two syllables (hou-sing), with the stress on "hou". Housing refers to the provision of rooms or buildings for people to live in. It can denote residences in general, the process of supplying shelter, or the industry and infrastructure surrounding homes. The term is commonly used in housing policy, real estate, and urban planning discussions to describe living arrangements and housing stock.
Housing refers to the provision of rooms or buildings for people to live in. It can denote residences in general, the process of supplying shelter, or the industry and infrastructure surrounding homes. The term is commonly used in housing policy, real estate, and urban planning discussions to describe living arrangements and housing stock.
- You might underplay or misplace the /aʊ/ diphthong in the first syllable, making it sound more like /ɒ/ or /ɔː/. Correct by practicing a clear rise from open jaw position, move to a rounded lip for the second element of the diphthong, ending with a distinct /z/ before /ɪŋ/. - Some speakers nasalize the /ɪŋ/ too much, producing /zɪn/; keep the back of the tongue relaxed and allow a clean velar nasal /ŋ/ without over-nasality. - In fast speech, you may swallow the /z/ or merge it with the /ɪŋ/. Practice slow then link to next word to maintain the /z/ clarity.
"The city is investing in affordable housing for low-income families."
"We need more high-quality housing to meet demand in the urban core."
"The housing market has cooled after a year of rapid price increases."
Pronounce it as /ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ/ (US) or /ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ/ (UK/AU). Start with the stressed syllable HAU, a diphthong /aʊ/ as in 'how', then a clear /z/ sound, and finish with the syllabic -ing /ɪŋ/. Keep the tongue high for /aʊ/ and feather the /z/ so it’s not a buzzing trap; the ending /ɪŋ/ should be light but audible. Pace should be steady, with the syllable boundary clear: HAU-zing.
Common mistakes: (1) Missing the initial stress or reducing HAU to /həʊ/ or /hoʊ/ without the /aʊ/ diphthong; (2) De-voicing or mispronouncing the /z/ as /s/ or /z/ as /d/ in rapid speech; (3) Slurring the final /ɪŋ/ into a nasalized /ɪn/ without keeping the /ŋ/ release distinct. Correction: emphasize /ˈhaʊ/ with your jaw dropped slightly, produce a crisp /z/, then finish with /ɪŋ/. Practice slowly: HAU-zing, then link to a following word starting with a vowel.
In US English you’ll hear /ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ/, with a clear rhotic flavor in connected speech. UK English keeps /ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ/ as well, but with slightly less vowel length and a crisper /z/ depending on region; non-rhotic tendenciesym not strongly affecting this word's ending. Australian English aligns largely with UK patterns but often features a slightly more centralized /ɪŋ/ due to Melbourne/Sydney vowel effects. Across all, the diphthong /aʊ/ remains central and is the most noticeable feature to tune.
The challenge lies in the /aʊ/ diphthong, which morphed from a pure /a/ to a glide that moves to /ʊ/ in many accents, plus a crisp /z/ between two vowels. Additionally, the final /ɪŋ/ requires tongue damping so the nasal doesn’t bleed into a preceding consonant. You’ll also encounter subtle timing shifts in rapid speech that can flatten the /z/ or blur the /ɪŋ/. Focus on keeping distinct segments while maintaining natural flow.
Commonly asked: Is the 'ou' in 'housing' pronounced like 'ow' in 'crowd' or more like a quick 'au' diphthong? The correct is the /aʊ/ diphthong, as in 'how'. People often slow the vowel or substitute with /a/; practice the glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ subtly to match natural speech. Emphasize the initial syllable stress and keep the transition smooth into /zɪŋ/.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity and ensure /haʊ/ is clear, with a slightly tensed jaw to produce the diphthong precisely. - UK: crisp /z/ and reduced vowel length; keep non-rhotic rhythm but allow a clear /z/. - AU: subtle vowel shifts: /aʊ/ closer to /aʊ/ but with slightly rounded lips and faster transition into /ɪŋ/. Use IPA references to monitor exact lip rounding and tongue height.
Housing comes from the verb house, meaning to provide shelter. The noun form emerged in English in the 14th century via Old French hous, from Latin casa “cottage, hut,” related to Greek korys meaning shelter. Over time, the term extended to refer not only to the structure itself but to the inhabited space and the living arrangements it provides. In modern use, housing encompasses a broad ecosystem—from private homes to social housing and civic policy. The word’s meaning shifted from the physical shelter to the social system that provides shelter, crystallizing in policy, planning, and development discourse. First known use in English literature centers around references to dwellings and buildings, with the term becoming common in urban and economic contexts by the 19th and 20th centuries as housing markets and housing policy gained prominence amid industrialization and urbanization.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "housing" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "housing"
-ing sounds
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