2 syllables: hur, ting. Stress on hur.
/ˈhɝtɪŋ/
Say it backHurting is the present participle and gerund form of the verb harm, meaning to cause physical pain or to be in pain. It can describe an act that wounds or injures, or emotional pain someone feels. In usage, it often functions as a progressive verb, an adjective, or a noun via -ing (e.g., hurting feelings).
"The fall is hurting his knee and he needs a bandage."
"She’s been hurting since the breakup and hasn’t slept well."
"The loud crash was hurting my ears for hours."
Pronounce as /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/ in US, UK, and AU. Start with 'hur' rhymes with 'purr' and 'her' depending on your accent: US /ɜːr/ or UK /ɜː/. The second syllable is a weak, unstressed /tɪŋ/ with a light 't' release and a nasal -ing. Emphasize the first syllable; avoid turning it into a long 'her-t-ing' with too much length on the second syllable. Listen for a smooth, quick transition from /ˈhɜːr/ to /tɪŋ/.
Common errors: (1) Adding an extra vowel and saying 'huh-rt-ing' with a reduced middle; (2) overemphasizing the /t/ as a hard stop in American speakers; (3) misplacing the /ɜː/ vowel, saying /hɔːr/ or /hɜːɪn/. Correction: keep the /ɜː/ or /ɝ/ in the first syllable, avoid a separate syllabic /r/; use a brief, light /t/ fragment before the ending /ɪŋ/. Practice with minimal pairs like hur-ting vs hurt-ing to ensure proper vocalic quality and rhythm.
In US, /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/ with rhotic /r/; Americans often produce a strong /ɜːr/ diphthong-like sequence. UK tends toward /ˈhɜːtɪŋ/ with non-rhotic r and a longer vowel in /ɜː/; AU often mirrors US but with slight vowel flattening and a softer /ɹ/ realization. All share primary stress on the first syllable; the /ŋ/ ending remains, but vowel and r-coloring vary by rhoticity and vowel quality.
The difficulty lies in the vowel quality of the first syllable and the quick transition to the /t/ and reduced /ɪŋ/ ending. For many, /ɜːr/ or /ɜː/ is unfamiliar, and the /t/ can become a flap or a released stop that disrupts the rhythm. Additionally, in rapid speech, the /ɜː/ can shift toward a schwa or merge with /ər/, altering rhotic resonance. Focus on maintaining a clear, tense-lax contrast in the first syllable while keeping the /ŋ/ nasal soft.
The unique aspect is the combination of a stressed first syllable with a strong, clear /ɜː/ or /ɝ/ vowel followed by a light, quickly produced /t/ and the nasal /ŋ/. A frequent slip is replacing the /t/ with a glottal stop or blending with a vowel onset; ensure the /t/ is released and the /ŋ/ is velar nasal, not an /n/ or /ŋk/ blend. Keep the tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for the /t/, then relax into the velar /ŋ/.
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Hurting derives from the verb hurt, itself tracing to Old English hyrtian, from the Proto-Germanic *hurtjaną, related to Proto-Indo-European root *ker- meaning to cut or strike. The modern form hurt appeared early in Middle English, with -ing as a present participle/gerund yielding hurting. Historically, meaning widened from “to cause injury” to “to injure oneself,” and then to describe emotional pain, as in hurting feelings. The word has maintained a core sense of harm or damage, often extended metaphorically to non-physical pain. The development includes shifts in pronunciation and spelling patterns through the Great Vowel Shift era and standardization of English spelling in Early Modern English, leading to today’s pronunciation /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/ in rhotic dialects and /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/ or /ˈhɜːtɪŋ/ in some dialects. First known written attestations date to medieval English texts, but the exact earliest instance of the gerund form is not always distinctly recorded in surviving sources.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hurting" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "hurting" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "hurting"
-ing sounds
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