2 syllables: leas, ing. Stress on leas.
/ˈlisɪŋ/
Say it backLeasing refers to the act of granting temporary use of property or equipment under a lease agreement. It also describes the period during which such use is granted. The term is commonly used in business and real estate contexts, highlighting arrangements where one party rents assets from another for a specified term and price.
"The company is leasing office space in the new district."
"They are leasing heavy machinery to support the construction project."
"Small businesses often start by leasing equipment rather than buying it."
Pronounce it as /ˈliːzɪŋ/. It starts with a long E as in 'see', followed by the z sound and the final ng. The primary stress falls on the first syllable: LEA-sing. Keep the tongue high for /iː/ and finish with a velar nasal /ŋ/. Audio references: consult standard dictionaries' аудио entries for /ˈliːzɪŋ/.
Common errors include reducing the vowel to /ɪ/ as in 'bit' instead of /iː/ (LEs-ing) and softening the /z/ to /s/ (leas-ing). Another mistake is misplacing stress on the second syllable (liˈzing). Correct by ensuring the first syllable uses a tense, long /iː/ and articulating the /z/ clearly before the velar nasal /ŋ/.
In most accents, /ˈliːzɪŋ/ holds, but rhoticity affects surrounding vowels in connected speech. In US and AU, the /ːi/ in the first syllable stays tense; UK often retains non-rhoticity but still maintains /ˈliːzɪŋ/. There may be slight vowel duration differences in rapid speech. Overall the core vowels and consonants remain the same, with subtle intonation and linking variations.
The main challenge is maintaining a long /iː/ in a two‑syllable word and clearly articulating /z/ before /ɪŋ/. Some speakers compress /iː/ to /ɪ/ or replace /z/ with /s/. Another subtlety is ensuring the /ŋ/ is a clear, velar nasal without adding extra vowel sounds. Focus on keeping /ˈliː/ tight, then release straight into /zɪŋ/.
Leasing uniquely combines a tense front vowel /iː/ with a voiced alveolar fricative /z/ followed by the velar nasal /ŋ/. The sequence /zɪŋ/ requires precise tongue placement to avoid an /s/ or /l/ substitute. The word’s clarity relies on a crisp /z/ and a clean, swift /ŋ/ without an added vowel. IPA highlights: /ˈliːzɪŋ/.
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Leasing comes from the verb lease, from Old French leaser, based on Latin ligare ‘to bind’ through a Germanic borrowing route that stressed binding someone to a contract. The noun lease emerged in Middle English as a binding agreement to provide the use of property for a term in exchange for rent. In the 19th and 20th centuries, leasing expanded beyond land to include equipment, vehicles, and consumer financing, reflecting the broader legal concept of creating a contractual obligation for temporary possession. The word hardware-traces include legal terms such as leasehold and lessee, underscoring the commercial and transactional nature of the concept. First known uses appear in legal records from the late 14th century, with modernization in the 1800s as commercial leasing grew in industrial sectors and then in real estate and finance in the 20th century. Today, leasing is ubiquitous in business vocabularies, often paired with terms like ‘lease agreement,’ ‘lessee,’ ‘lessor,’ and ‘lease term.’
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "leasing" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "leasing"
-ing sounds
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