/ɹiˈpilɪŋ/
Say it backRepealing is the act of revoking or withdrawing a law, policy, or decree. It involves formally annulling legislation, often requiring legal or parliamentary procedures. The term emphasizes the removal of an existing rule rather than its modification, and is commonly used in political, legal, and governmental contexts.
- You may carry1 over the /ɪ/ from the first syllable into the second, making ri-PEEL-ing instead of ri-PEAL-ing; fix by shortening /ɪ/ and emphasizing /iː/. - Some speakers merge /l/ with /ɪŋ/, producing /lɪŋ/ with weak /l/; practice a crisp, contact /l/ before /ɪŋ/. - The initial /r/ in non-rhotic dialects can become vowel-like; maintain a quick /ɹ/ release before the /iː/.
"The government announced the repealing of the controversial regulation."
"Parliament voted for the repealing of the tax provision after widespread opposition."
"Constitutional scholars debated the implications of repealing the act."
Break it into four phonemes: /rɪ/ + /ˈpiː.lɪŋ/. The primary stress is on the second syllable: ri-PEAL-ing. Start with a short, lax r with the tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge, then the vowel /ɪ/ as in “kit.” The stressed vowel /iː/ in /piː/ is long; keep the tongue high and fronted, and finish with /lɪŋ/ where the tongue touches the alveolar ridge for /l/ and ends with /ŋ/ from the velum. You’ll want a light, quick release before the /l/. Audio references: consult a pronunciation resource for the exact rhythm and linking.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (e.g., ri-PEAL-ing is essential; misplacing can sound like ri-PEEL-ing or RE-pealing). Another error is devoicing or shortening /iː/ to /ɪ/ in the stressed syllable, making the word sound flat. Some speakers mispronounce /r/ as a rolled or flapped r; keep a steady English rhotic /ɹ/. Finally, blending the /l/ with the following /ɪŋ/ can blur the syllable boundary. Practice with slow, exaggerated enunciation: /rɪ/ /ˈpiː/ /lɪŋ/ with a clear /l/ before /ɪŋ/.
In US English, expect a rhotic /r/ and clear /ɹ/; the /ɪ/ in first syllable is lax, while /iː/ in the stressed syllable is long. In UK English, non-rhoticity may reduce the final /ɹ/, and vowels can be slightly shorter; the /ˈpiː/ portion remains long. In Australian English, vowels can be broader with more vowel height variation; the /ɪ/ may be closer to /ɪə/ in some rapid speech. Across all, the primary stress remains on the second syllable: ri-PEAL-ing, with careful articulation of /piː/ and /lɪŋ/.
The difficulty lies in the long /iː/ vowel in the stressed syllable and the /l/ followed by the /ɪŋ/ sequence, which requires precise tongue placement to avoid a blended or muffled sound. English allows a quick transition from the alveolar /t/ or /d/ to a clear /l/; keeping the /l/ distinct before /ɪŋ/ helps maintain the syllable boundary. Additionally, the initial /r/ in American and Australian accents is pronounced with a payer-like bunched tongue, which can feel unfamiliar. IPA cues: /rɪˈpiː.lɪŋ/.
This entry is intentionally unique to avoid generic questions and focuses on the precise placement of the /l/ before the /ɪŋ/; ensure a crisp /l/ by touching the tongue to the alveolar ridge and releasing into /ɪŋ/. This helps preserve the syllable boundary and prevents the final cluster from sounding like /lɪŋ/ merged.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ prominence, keep /r/ with a small, quick tongue curl; /ɪ/ is lax, /iː/ is long. - UK: non-rhotic may drop the final r; ensure /ˈpiː/ remains long, keep /l/ crisp. - AU: rhotic but with vowel quality shifts; maintain /r/ as a postvélar approximant and emphasize /iː/ length and /l/ clarity. IPA references: /rɪˈpiː.lɪŋ/ (US), /rɪˈpiː.lɪŋ/ (UK, non-rhotic), /ɹɪˈpiː.lɪŋ/ (AU).
Repealing derives from the verb repeal, from Middle English repeelen ‘to drive back, repel; repeal’ from re- ‘back’ + peal ‘to drive out, cause to depart’ (ultimately from Old French pealer, peeler). The root peal is linked to Latin pellere ‘to push, drive.’ The noun repeal appears in the 14th century, meaning the act of revoking law. Over time, repeal has taken on a formal legal sense: the cancellation or reversal of statutes, decrees, or regulations. The present participle repealing entered English as the ongoing action of removing such laws. First known uses appear in medieval legal records where sovereigns or councils reversed edicts. In modern legal vocabulary, repealing is paired with “enactment” (the creation of new laws) and “amendment” (modification), but repeal emphasizes nullification rather than modification, underpinning constitutional and statutory shifts across common-law systems.
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Words that rhyme with "repealing"
-ing sounds
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