2 syllables: Poll, ing. Stress on Poll.
POH-ling
/ˈpoʊlɪŋ/
Polling is pronounced POH-ling (/ˈpoʊlɪŋ/). It has two syllables (Poll-ing), with the stress on "Poll". Polling is the act of conducting or taking a poll—seeking opinions from a sample of people. It can also refer to the items or questions in a poll. In political or market research, polling gathers statistical data to infer broader public sentiment. The term emphasizes systematic sampling and question administration to gauge opinions.
nounPolling is the act of conducting or taking a poll—seeking opinions from a sample of people. It can also refer to the items or questions in a poll. In political or market research, polling gathers statistical data to infer broader public sentiment. The term emphasizes systematic sampling and question administration to gauge opinions.
"The polling results suggested a narrow lead for the candidate."
"Researchers conducted a national polling survey to measure consumer attitudes."
"Polling questions were designed to minimize bias and maximize clarity."
Polling is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈpoʊlɪŋ/ in General American and /ˈpəʊlɪŋ/ in UK. Start with a clear /poʊ/ (US) or /pəʊ/ (UK) diphthong, then release a light /l/ and end with /ɪŋ/. Keep the vowel steady before the final nasal. You’ll sound natural if you maintain a crisp initial stop and avoid adding an extra syllable. You can hear it in phrases like “polling data.”
Common errors include reducing the first syllable to a schwa too quickly, making /poʊ/ sound more like /pɪ/ or /pə/; softening or dropping the /l/ or mispronouncing the final /ŋ/ as /n/. Another pitfall is an overlong second syllable or adding an unnecessary extra vowel. Ensure the /l/ is light but audible and end with a clear velar nasal /ŋ/, not /ŋg/ or /n/. Practice with minimal pairs like 'pole/ Polling' to anchor the /oʊ/ vs /oʊl/ sequence.
In US English, /ˈpoʊlɪŋ/ uses a clear /oʊ/ diphthong and a rhotic /ɹ/ effect in connected speech but not in this word; UK English uses /ˈpəʊlɪŋ/ with a longer /əʊ/ and a non-rhotic tendency in careful speech; Australian English often features a centralized or closer /o/ in /ˈpɒlɪŋ/ or /ˈpoːlɪŋ/ depending on speaker, with a less pronounced rhoticity. Across all, the final /ŋ/ remains: it should stay velar and nasal, not alveolar. Listening to native speech in each variety will reveal subtle vowel shifts.
The challenge lies in the initial diphthong and the transition into a clearly enunciated /l/ followed by a velar nasal /ŋ/. English speakers often reduce the first syllable or fuse /l/ with a schwa, diminishing contrast between /poʊ/ and /pɔː/. Additionally, some speakers may misplace the stress or confuse the /l/ with a vowel, resulting in /polɪŋ/ or /poʊlin/. Focusing on the full /oʊ/ diphthong and a crisp /l/ can stabilize pronunciation.
The word Polling often trips non-native speakers on the boundary between the first syllable and the /l/ onset. The /l/ should be a light, clear lateral approximant, not a dark or dull L. You should not glide from /oʊ/ into a separate vowel; instead, maintain the diphthong into the /l/ so that the transition remains smooth: /ˈpoʊlɪŋ/. This boundary is where many learners insert an extra vowel or misarticulate the /l/.
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Polling derives from the noun poll, meaning a head or count, with the sense of recording votes or opinions. The modern use is rooted in the mid-19th century as democratic processes expanded and systematic polls became common. Poll likely originated from Old French poule or poll, and Greek roots through Latin pollis, indicating the headcount or tally. The suffix -ing marks ongoing action, producing a noun from the verb poll, historically tied to counting heads in a community or gathering. Early forms emphasized the act of counting people or opinions in a defined group. Over time, polling broadened to denote structured surveys across larger populations, with standardized methodologies, sampling frames, and statistical aggregation. By the 20th century, polling became a central tool in politics, market research, and social science, symbolizing empirical measurement of public sentiment rather than informal guessing. First known uses appear in parliamentary contexts and poll books from the 1800s, evolving into contemporary market and political polling institutions that publish margins of error, confidence intervals, and weighting schemes to reflect representative samples.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Polling" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Polling"
-ing sounds
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