2 syllables: mould, ing. Stress on mould.
MOHL-ding
/ˈmoʊldɪŋ/
moulding is pronounced MOHL-ding (/ˈmoʊldɪŋ/). It has two syllables (mould-ing), with the stress on "mould". Moulding is the act of shaping a material—typically with heat or pressure—into a specific form, often using a mold. It can refer to manufacturing processes, decorative trim, or the creation of shapes in materials like clay, plaster, or metal. The term emphasizes controlled shaping and the resulting form rather than mere casting. The noun and verb forms share pronunciation with slight context-driven stress patterns.
Moulding is the act of shaping a material—typically with heat or pressure—into a specific form, often using a mold. It can refer to manufacturing processes, decorative trim, or the creation of shapes in materials like clay, plaster, or metal. The term emphasizes controlled shaping and the resulting form rather than mere casting. The noun and verb forms share pronunciation with slight context-driven stress patterns.
- You might slip into a tense, closed mouth for the /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ diphthong; relax your jaw and glide into the vowel rather than snapping to a tight position. - The /l/ after the initial vowel must stay light yet defined; a lazy /l/ can blur into the following /d/. - Some learners drop the /d/ or soften it into a /n/ or /ŋ/ in fast speech; keep it as a crisp alveolar stop /d/. - Final /ŋ/ should be velar nasal but it remains a soft, continuous sound; avoid voiceless /ŋ/; maintain nasal resonance. - In rapid dialogue, you may reduce the syllable boundary and pronounce /ˈmoʊldɪŋ/ as /ˈmoʊldɪŋ/ without subtle syllable break; practice with slow phoneme-by-phoneme shaping to ensure distinct segments.
"The carpenter spent the afternoon moulding a decorative arch from timber."
"In plaster, moulding is used to create ornate ceilings and walls."
"The plastic moulding was cooled before it was removed from the mold."
Pronounce as /ˈmoʊl.dɪŋ/ (US) or /ˈməʊl.dɪŋ/ (UK/AU). Primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable uses a long mid-back vowel [oʊ] in North American English and a mid-central to high back vowel [əʊ] in UK/AU with a syllabic onset similar to 'mold' plus a light schwa. The final '-ding' is a unstressed, quick /dɪŋ/ consonant cluster. To feel it: close your lips for /m/, then glide into /oʊ/ while rounding slightly, drop to /l/ with tip at the alveolar ridge, then /d/ followed by /ɪŋ/. Audio reference: listen to Pronounce or Forvo entries for 'moulding' in both dialects.
Common errors include pronouncing the first syllable as /maʊ/ (like 'mowling') or hitting the /oʊ/ with too much tension, producing /moʊldɪŋ/ with a lingering vowel. Also, some speakers reduce the /l/ or skip linking: pronounce the /l/ clearly as /l/ rather than a dark approximant. Ensure the /d/ is a true alveolar stop, not a flap. Practice by isolating /ˈmoʊl/ or /ˈməʊl/ and then add the /dɪŋ/ slowly, then at natural speed.
In US English, /ˈmoʊl.dɪŋ/ with a stressed first syllable and a clear /oʊ/; rhoticity doesn’t strongly affect the vowel in this word. In UK and AU, /ˈməʊl.dɪŋ/ features a closer, more rounded /əʊ/ or /əʊ/ starting vowel in non-rhotic contexts, and the final /ɪŋ/ remains. Australians typically show a slightly more centralized /oʊ/ transition and can exhibit broader diphthong shapes. Overall, the main differences are vowel quality and degree of rhotics; the consonants stay the same.
The difficulty often lies in the diphthong in the first syllable and the /l/ placement after a preceding vowel, which can feel unusual when paired with a short /ɪŋ/ ending. The transition from the long vowel to the alveolar /l/ and then to /d/ can create a subtle consonant-vowel clash. Practicing with minimal pairs and slow speed helps align tongue height and lip rounding for a smooth /ˈmoʊl.dɪŋ/ or /ˈməʊl.dɪŋ/.
The word commonly carries two phonetic moments to monitor: the long vowel in the first syllable and the light, clipped /dɪŋ/ ending. In fast speech, the /ld/ cluster can be realized as a light, alveolar L plus a softer /d/; ensure the /l/ does not vanish before /d/. Emphasize the primary stress on the first syllable and keep the /l/ clear to avoid conflating with 'mowing' or 'molder'.”
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- US: emphasize /ˈmoʊl.dɪŋ/ with a clear long /oʊ/; keep rhotics neutral; tongue tip behind upper teeth for /l/, then brief stop /d/. - UK/AU: lean toward /ˈməʊl.dɪŋ/ with a slightly more centralized vowel in the first position; non-rhotic accents may reduce linking of r sounds; ensure reduced vowel is still rounded and not reduced to a schwa in stressed syllables. - Vowel quality: US /oʊ/ is a more pronounced glide, UK/AU /əʊ/ is commonly closer to a pure /əʊ/; mouth shapes should reflect rounded lips for the onset. - Consonants: /l/ is clear and light; /d/ is a hard alveolar stop; avoid flapping in American conversational speed; keep dental contact crisp for distinguishing /d/ from /n/. - IPA reminders: US /ˈmoʊl.dɪŋ/, UK/AU /ˈməʊl.dɪŋ/; practice with minimal pairs to hear rhoticity differences if any.” ,
Moulding is derived from the noun mould (UK spelling) or mold (US spelling), which comes from Old French mold, molde, and before that from Latin mulare ‘to mold, shape’ and assimilated Proto-Germanic *malþiz. The root relates to fashioning a material into a form. In Middle English, mould/ mold referred to a form used to shape other materials and the act of giving shape. The modern usage expands to both the process (the act of forming) and the resulting form (the decorative trim or structural component). The modern verb mould (UK) or mold (US) retains the sense of shaping by a mold, die, or template. First attestations appear in late medieval periods as crafts and manufacturing grew more complex, especially in carpentry, ceramics, and metalworking, where a reusable form determines consistent shapes. Over centuries, spelling stabilized to “moulding” in British English and “molding” in American English, with “moulding” as the noun form in both variants and “mould/ mold” as the verb base. The evolution reflects industrial manufacturing and interior decoration shifts, with the term now common in architecture, carpentry, and materials science to describe both process and decorative features.
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Words that rhyme with "moulding"
-ing sounds
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