/ɹɪˈdʒɛktɪŋ/
Say it backRejecting is the present participle of the verb reject, meaning to dismiss, refuse, or push away something or someone. In usage, it often functions as a gerund or as part of a verb phrase (e.g., is rejecting). It can describe a conscious act of denial, or a broader tendency to dismiss ideas or proposals. Typical pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable, with schwa in the middle and a clear final -ing.
- You may insert an extra vowel: avoid saying /rɪˈdʒɛkɪŋ/ or /rɪˈdʒɛkən/; keep the final /tɪŋ/ as a clean /tɪŋ/, not a nasalized /n/. - Don’t merge the /dʒ/ with the following /t/ too quickly; maintain a brief crisp release between /dʒ/ and /t/. - Don’t imitate 'reject' with a longer final consonant; 'reject' ends with /t/, while 'rejecting' ends with /ɪŋ/— ensure you articulate the velar nasal without adding extra consonants. - Common mistake in connected speech is skipping the middle vowel cue; practice with slow tempo to stabilize the /ɪ/ in the first syllable and the /ɛ/ in the second. - Practice tip: record yourself, compare to a native speaker, and adjust the middle vowel height to avoid a full schwa collapse or a mis-placed r-colouring.
"The committee is rejecting several proposals for budget reasons."
"She is rejecting the offer because it doesn’t meet her requirements."
"He spent the evening rejecting emails and focusing on priorities."
Pronounce as /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/ (US/UK/AU share the same core). Start with /rɪ/ (short i as in rib), stress the second syllable /ˈdʒɛk/ with a clear /dʒ/ sound as in judge, then a light /tɪŋ/ ending. Keep the tongue high for the /dʒ/ and release into a crisp /t/ before the final /ɪŋ/. In connected speech, you may hear a quick /dʒ/ and a reduced middle vowel; still, aim for a distinct stress peak on the second syllable. Audio reference: you can compare with words like reject, relevant to feel the /dʒ/ onset.
Two frequent errors: 1) Dropping the middle vowel and saying /rɪˈrɛk.tɪŋ/ or /rɪˈdʒek.tɪn/ with a nasalized ending. 2) Slurring the /dʒ/ into /tʃ/ (re-sharpening to /rɪˈtʃɛk.tɪŋ/). Correction: keep the /dʒ/ as a single affricate with a brief release, and articulate the final -ing as /-ɪŋ/ with the tongue finishing high in the velum rather than turning into an /n/ sound. Practice separate syllables: re- /rɪ/; -ject- /ˈdʒɛk/; -ing /ɪŋ/ before merging.
US and UK share /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/, but US tends to more rhotic linking with r- coloured vowels, and UK may have a more clipped /ˈdʒɛk/ with less vowel length on the middle syllable. Australian English generally follows US patterns but with slightly flatter vowels; final /ɪŋ/ may be reduced to /ɪn/ in rapid speech and the /t/ can be flapped or alveolar when rapid. The main differences are vowel quality and tempo, not the core consonant sequence.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /dʒ/ immediately after a prefix re- and the accurate vowel height of the stressed syllable /ɪˈdʒɛk/. Beginners misplace the tongue for /dʒ/ and produce an awkward /r/ or an audible stop, and they may mispronounce the final /ɪŋ/ as /ɪn/. Focus on the /dʒ/ affricate, keep the jaw relatively closed for the middle vowel, and finish with a clean velar nasal /ŋ/. Practice with minimal pairs: /rɪdʒ/ vs /rɛdʒ/ to feel the difference.
The word follows a trochaic-ish rhythm with secondary stress on the second syllable; main stress falls on /ˈdʒɛk/. Although many speakers reduce to /rəˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/ in fast speech, the clear mid-stressed /ˈdʒɛk/ makes the verb fragment prominent in contexts like a critique or decision-making dialogue.
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- US: Pronounce /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/ with a fully rhotic initial /r/; keep the /ɪ/ in the first syllable short and the /ɛ/ in the stressed syllable relatively open. The /t/ is dental-alveolar with a brief release before /ɪŋ/. - UK: Slightly crisper onset on /rɪ/ and a marginally shorter vowel in the second syllable; emphasize the /dʒ/ and avoid heavy vowel length. The /ɪŋ/ ending can be slightly more centralized. - AU: Similar to US, but with a flatter vowel spectrum; you may hear a lighter /ɪ/ and a more relaxed final /ŋ/. Avoid over-enunciating the final consonant; maintain a smooth nasal closure on /ŋ/. IPA references: US /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/, UK /rɪˈdʒe.k.tɪŋ/, AU /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪŋ/.
Reject originates from the Latin recalcitrans meaning ‘driving back’ or ‘driving away.’ In English, reject entered Middle English via Old French rejection, from Latin re- ‘back’ + jacere ‘to throw.’ The sense developed from the idea of throwing something back, i.e., to discard or deny. By the 14th century, reject had moved from a noun meaning ‘something refused’ to a verb meaning ‘to refuse or discard.’ The present participle rejecting emerged in the early modern period as English extended verb forms to create continuous tenses and gerunds (e.g., rejecting a proposal). The word’s core semantic field—refusal, denial, non-acceptance—has remained stable, with modern usage broadening to include social or ethical dismissal and, in phrases, ongoing processes of refusal. In contemporary usage, rejecting often conveys deliberate prioritization or stance rather than a casual disagreement, and can appear in technical, political, or interpersonal contexts. First known uses align with legal, political, and rhetorical texts where proposals or claims were actively dismissed or deemed unsuitable, evolving into everyday speech as a common participle form with present continuous functions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "rejecting" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "rejecting"
-ing sounds
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