3 syllables: on, go, ing. Stress on on.
AHN-goh-ing
/ˈɑˌnɡoʊɪŋ/
ongoing is pronounced AHN-goh-ing (/ˈɑˌnɡoʊɪŋ/). It has three syllables (on-go-ing), with the stress on "on". Ongoing describes something that is currently in progress or continuing over time. It refers to actions, processes, or states that persist without a defined end, emphasizing continuity rather than completion. In use, it often modifies nouns or verbs to indicate duration or an ongoing nature of activity.
Ongoing describes something that is currently in progress or continuing over time. It refers to actions, processes, or states that persist without a defined end, emphasizing continuity rather than completion. In use, it often modifies nouns or verbs to indicate duration or an ongoing nature of activity.
"The project is ongoing and will likely span several more months."
"We had ongoing discussions about the policy before a final decision was reached."
"Maintenance is ongoing to ensure the system stays secure."
It’s pronounced oʊnˈɡoʊɪŋ in US English, with the primary stress on the second syllable: o-NGO-ing. The first syllable rhymes with ‘go’, the second syllable features a clear /oʊ/ followed by a light /ɪ/ in the middle, and the final /ŋ/ nasal sound as in “sing.” Listen for a crisp break between the -ngo- and -ing segments. In UK, you’ll hear similar rhythm but with slightly less diphthong height on /əʊ/ in some speakers: ɒnˈɡəʊɪŋ. In Australian English, expect similar stress but with more centralized vowel qualities in the unstressed syllables.
Two frequent errors: 1) Dropping the g at the end, saying ‘ongoin’ or ‘ongo-win’—the final -ing should be a nasal /ŋ/ with a light /ɪ/ before it. 2) Slurring the middle syllable into the first, producing oN-GO-ing with poor syllable separation. Corrective tip: give the middle syllable a distinct /ɡoʊ/ and clearly release the transition to the final /ŋ/ by timing the velocity: fast but not collapsed. Practice with a slight pause between -ngo- and -ing to reinforce the rhythm.
In US English, primary stress on the second syllable: oʊnˈɡoʊɪŋ, with an audible diphthong in both the initial and middle vowels. UK English often softens the first /oʊ/ toward /ɒ/ or /əʊ/ and may use a more centralized middle vowel, producing ɒnˈɡəʊɪŋ. Australian English maintains the two-syllable pattern, but vowels can be flatter and the /ɡ/ may assimilate more lightly in connected speech, yielding ˈɒnˌɡɔɪŋ in some varieties. Across accents, the rhythm remains trochaic (strong-weak-strong), but vowel quality and the exact diphthong shapes shift.
The difficulty lies in the vowel quality of the middle syllable and the final nasal cluster. The sequence -ngo- features a strong /oʊ/ followed by a /ŋ/ transition, which can tempt speakers to blend into -nog- or -go-. The final -ing requires precise tongue position for /ɪ/ before a velar nasal /ŋ/, and in rapid speech, the two alveolar touches can fuse. Maintaining distinct syllable boundaries while preserving the right stress on -ngo- is the key challenge.
Yes. The word places primary stress on the second syllable, not the first, which can surprise learners who expect ‘on-’ to be more prominent. The middle syllable /ˈɡoʊ/ acts as the nucleus of the word’s rhythm, and the final /ɪŋ/ closes with a clear nasal. This combination—a strong middle diphthong, a distinct final nasal, and a non-initial primary stress—defines its unique footprint in connected speech.
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Ongoing traces its roots to the phrasal verb going on, formed from the verb go and the present participle on. In Middle English, phrases like on goin’ or in goyn were used to describe something that was proceeding. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the term had solidified into a compound adjective—ongoing—used to describe events, processes, or conditions that are in progress at the present time. The semantic shift centers on continuity: the action of going on continues into the present and beyond, rather than reaching a completed endpoint. Contemporary usage treats ongoing as a formal or semi-formal descriptor, commonly appearing in business, project management, law, and news reporting. Its meaning remains steady across varieties of English, though collocations may differ (e.g., ongoing basis, ongoing negotiations). First known uses appear in period writing in the sense of “in progress” and gradually evolved into a more fixed adjective describing duration, rather than momentary states, reflecting how modern English often encodes temporally extended processes with compact compounds.
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Words that rhyme with "ongoing"
-ing sounds
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