3 syllables: mar, ry, ing. Stress on mar.
/ˈmɛɹiɪŋ/
Say it backMarrying is the act of taking a spouse in a marriage. It refers to the ongoing process or the act of entering into matrimony, often highlighting the relationship and commitments formed. The word can also appear in contexts about decisions to marry, the timing of marriage, or social norms surrounding nuptials.
- You may blend the /i/ into /ɪŋ/, producing something like /ˈmær.iŋ/; instead, articulate /i/ distinctly before the /ɪŋ/. - Some speakers shorten the middle vowel too much, turning it into a quick schwa; keep it as a clear /i/ to avoid /ˈmær.ɪŋ/; pronounce /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/ with a light, brief second syllable. - Another error is misplacing the primary stress on the second syllable or producing a heavy second syllable; maintain primary stress on the first syllable: MARR. - Finally, some produce an extra vowel between /i/ and /ŋ/ (e.g., /ˈmær.iəŋ/). Keep it a clean transition to the velar nasal: /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/.
"She is marrying her longtime boyfriend next spring."
"In many cultures, marrying is a significant life milestone."
"They announced they are marrying after years of dating."
Pronounce as /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/. The first syllable carries primary stress: MARR. The middle is a short, light /i/ as in 'bit'. The final -ing is /ɪŋ/, with the tongue near the alveolar ridge and the velum closed enough to form the -ing suffix. In connected speech, you may hear a weaker /ɪ/ and a shorter /ŋ/. Try saying: MARR-ee-ing, with smooth transition between syllables.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as /ˈmær.iːɪŋ/ with a prolonged middle vowel or misplacing the stress on the second syllable, and linking too strongly the /i/ with the /ŋ/ so it sounds like /ˈmær.iːŋ/ or /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/. Correction: keep the middle vowel short /i/ as in 'bit' and maintain clear separation between /i/ and /ɪŋ/, ensuring the final /ŋ/ is a clean velar nasal. Practice by isolating each syllable: /ˈmær/ + /i/ + /ɪŋ/ and then blend without adding an extra vowel.
In US, UK, and AU, the initial /æ/ can be slightly more centralized in some speakers. All share the /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/ pattern, but rhoticity affects connected speech: US tends to pronounce a rhotic /r/ in adjacent words, while UK and AU often have non-rhotic tendencies in careful speech; however, in rapid speech, linking with following words can create a subtle /r/ coloring in US. The -ing suffix remains /ɪŋ/ across dialects. The main variation is vowel quality of /æ/ and the potential smoothing of /i/ to a schwa-like onset in fast speech.
Two main challenges: (1) the sequence /ˈmæɹ.i.ɪŋ/ has a diphthong-like transition in the middle and a quick /ɪŋ/ cluster; keep the middle short and the final /ŋ/ crisp. (2) The word has a stressed first syllable followed by a light, weakly connected second syllable; keeping stress clear while avoiding vowel merging with the suffix helps. Practice by isolating syllables and then accelerating with controlled breath to maintain clean consonants and vowel lengths.
Yes. The middle /i/ in /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/ is a separate vowel distinct from the final /ɪŋ/ sequence. It is a light, short vowel like the 'i' in 'kit' or 'bit', not a long or glide vowel. Avoid merging it with /ɪŋ/ or turning it into a schwa. Focus on crisp articulation of /i/ between /ɜ/ or /ə/ characteristics depending on accent, and maintain a defined boundary before the final /ŋ/.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity when adjacent words require linking; ensure /r/ coloring if following a vowel. The middle /i/ tends to be shorter with a crisp /ɪ/ in rapid speech. - UK: less rhotic influence; ensure the /æ/ is precise and the /i/ remains short and not reduced to a schwa. - AU: similar to UK but with broader vowel qualities; keep /æ/ bright and the final /ɪŋ/ slightly more forward in the mouth. Across all, the ending /-ing/ often lacks a full /ɪ/ in very casual speech; practice both careful and casual pronunciations with IPA targets /ˈmær.i.ɪŋ/ and a reduced /ˈmær.iŋ/ as natural variants.
Marrying comes from the verb marry, which has Old English roots in mǣrian (to marry, unite in marriage). The noun form is associated with the ceremony and the social act of forming a婚and marriage bonds. The root marry itself traces to Proto-Germanic *farijaną, related to making a bond, binding, and promising. Over time, English expanded marry from a general bond to specifically denote the union of spouses. The suffix -ing marks the gerund/participle form, indicating the ongoing action or state of marriage. The earliest attestations of marry in Middle English appear in legal and folkloric contexts, often linked to betrothal and union. By the late 16th and 17th centuries, marry and marrying became common in both everyday speech and literary use, reflecting ongoing social emphasis on marriage as a formal, culturally significant bond. The word has maintained broader usage in modern English, including idioms like “to be married to” and “getting married,” with the -ing form designating duration or process rather than the completed state.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "marrying" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "marrying" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "marrying"
-rry sounds
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