2 syllables: leav, ing. Stress on leav.
LEE-ving
/ˈlivɪŋ/
leaving is pronounced LEE-ving (/ˈlivɪŋ/). It has two syllables (leav-ing), with the stress on "leav". Leaving is the present participle of leave, meaning to go away from a place or situation. It denotes the act of departing or the state of having departed, often implying intention or sequence in events. In usage, it can function as a verb or as a modifier when paired with a following noun, and it naturally carries a light, continuous aspect in many contexts.
Leaving is the present participle of leave, meaning to go away from a place or situation. It denotes the act of departing or the state of having departed, often implying intention or sequence in events. In usage, it can function as a verb or as a modifier when paired with a following noun, and it naturally carries a light, continuous aspect in many contexts.
"She is leaving for college next week."
"Leaving the room, he forgot his umbrella on the chair."
"We’re leaving early to avoid the traffic."
Say LEA-ving with primary stress on LEA. The IPA is /ˈliː.vɪŋ/. Start with a clear /l/, then a long /iː/ like in 'see', followed by a light /v/ and a short /ɪ/ before the final /ŋ/. In connected speech, you may hear a quick, barely reduced /ɪ/ and a subtle vowel shortening: /ˈliː.vn̩/ in rapid speech. Mouth: tip of the tongue to ridge behind the upper teeth for /l/, high-front vowel, relaxed jaw. IPA reference helps you lock in the rhythm and voicing.
Two frequent errors: (1) separating /liː/ and /vɪŋ/ with an audible pause, and (2) mispronouncing the final /ŋ/ as /ŋg/ or dropping it. Correction: keep a smooth transition with /ˈliː.vɪŋ/ and ensure the /ŋ/ is a velar nasal without a strong following /g/. Practice by saying ‘see-ving’ quickly, then add the /l/ onset: /ˈliː.vɪŋ/. Additionally, avoid reducing the /iː/ to a schwa in careful speech. Use full /iː/ for clear, natural pronunciation.
US/UK/AU share /ˈliː.vɪŋ/ for standard, but rhoticity affects surrounding words. In US, non-rhotic links may still articulate /r/ in connected speech only if licensed; in UK and AU, /r/ is generally not pronounced post-vocalically. The main differences appear in vowel quality of /iː/: US tends to a tenser, higher /iː/; UK/AU may be slightly shorter and closer to /ɪ/. Final /ŋ/ remains consistent across all. In Australian English you may hear subtle vowel narrowing in rapid speech, but stress remains on LEA. IPA references hold across dialects.
The difficulty centers on two: maintaining the long /iː/ while transitioning into the /v/ and stopping the tongue at /l/ without letting the /l/ influence the following vowel; and producing a clean final /ŋ/ without adding a /g/. The mouth positions shift quickly: start with a tall, tense /iː/, then move the tongue to a labiodental /v/ while keeping the jaw relaxed, and finish with a velar nasal /ŋ/ with the soft palate elevated. Practice helps maintain timing and avoid vowel weakening in rapid speech.
Remember the two-consonant onset pattern at the start: /l/ + /iː/ and the immediately following /v/ before the /ɪ/. Stress is fixed on the first syllable, so keep LEA loud and the second syllable lighter. A useful cue is to think ‘LEA-ving’ with the mouth briefly “dropping” slightly for the /v/ before lifting into /ɪ/. This helps the transition feel natural and reduces the risk of merging the /v/ into /l/ or /ɪ/ into /ŋ/.
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Leaving derives from the Old English leofian, related to the verb leofan meaning to leave behind or to forsake, and ultimately connected to the Proto-Germanic *libaną. The modern form 'leave' is from Old English læfan, with the -ing participle formed by adding -ing to the verb stem. The sense evolved through Middle English to express departure in spatial and figurative senses. The noun form ‘leaving’ appears in Middle English as a gerund-participle, denoting the act or result of leaving. Over time, leaving also acquired idiomatic uses such as ‘leave someone to their devices’ and ‘leave on,’ expanding beyond physical departure to include transitions (e.g., leaving a job, leaving a state). The pronunciation settled into the familiar /ˈliː.vɪŋ/ in Modern English, with stress on the first syllable, reflecting the verb’s root form and the common English pattern for -ing participles. First known written uses date to early Middle English texts, with standardized spelling variations gradually aligning to contemporary form by the 16th century. The evolution shows a shift from a simple action verb to a flexible participial form serving multiple grammatical roles in modern English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "leaving" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "leaving"
-ing sounds
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