2 syllables: Snor, ing. Stress on Snor.
SNAW-ring
/ˈsnɔɹɪŋ/
Snoring is pronounced SNAW-ring (/ˈsnɔɹɪŋ/). It has two syllables (Snor-ing), with the stress on "Snor". Snoring is the hum or rasp produced during sleep when airflow is partially obstructed, causing vibrating tissues in the throat. It often indicates reduced airway space and can disrupt both the snorer and nearby sleepers. The sound varies in pitch and volume depending on airway obstruction, mouth posture, and nasal airflow.
nounSnoring is the hum or rasp produced during sleep when airflow is partially obstructed, causing vibrating tissues in the throat. It often indicates reduced airway space and can disrupt both the snorer and nearby sleepers. The sound varies in pitch and volume depending on airway obstruction, mouth posture, and nasal airflow.
- You may flatten the first syllable vowel, saying snor-ing with a short, clipped /o/. Fix: lengthen the nucleus to /oʊ/ (US) or /ɔː/ (UK/AU) and keep the glide into /r/. - Dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic accents or misplacing it before -ing; ensure /r/ is clearly articulated: /ˈsnoʊrɪŋ/ or /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/. - Overemphasizing the /ɪŋ/ or tensing the final consonant; relax jaw and allow a soft nasal ending. Practice with minimal pairs and rhythm drills to normalize the sequence.
"- During late-night travel, the cabin’s snoring made it hard to sleep for everyone nearby."
"- His snoring was so loud that it woke him several times a night."
"- The doctor suggested positional therapy to reduce snoring."
Pronounce it as SNOR-ing with the primary stress on the first syllable. US: /ˈsnoʊrɪŋ/; UK/AU: /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/. Start with a clear /s/ followed by a long 'o' glide into /n/ and /r/; end with a light /ɪŋ/. Think: “SNOAR-ing” in US; “SNOR-ing” in UK/AU. Practice a steady flow from syllable to syllable and avoid inserting an extra vowel before the -ing suffix.
Common errors include reducing the first syllable to a short /ɪ/ or /ə/ (snər-ing) and misplacing the /r/ or turning /ɔː/ into a short /o/. To correct, hold the vowel longer: US /ˈsnoʊrɪŋ/ with /oʊ/; UK/AU /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/ with /ɔː/. Ensure the /r/ is pronounced before the final /ɪŋ/, and don’t skip the /r/ in rhotic varieties.
US tends to maintain a clear /oʊ/ diphthong in the first syllable and a pronounced /r/. UK/AU often realize a longer /ɔː/ with less rhotic influence in non-rhotic varieties; Australians may have a slightly broader vowel and a lightly tapped or approximant /r/ depending on region. The final /ɪŋ/ remains consistent. The overall rhythm is trochaic, but vowel quality shifts are most noticeable.
Two key challenges are the trill-free but accurate rhotic /r/ before the /ɪŋ/ and the length and quality of the first vowel. In US, the /oʊ/ is a tense diphthong; in UK/AU it can be a lengthier /ɔː/. Getting the transition from the vowel to the /r/ and then to /ɪŋ/ smooth requires precise tongue positioning and lip rounding.
A useful nuance is the
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- US: keep a clear /r/ before the /ɪŋ(); the diphthong in /oʊ/ should be stable (tongue starting high-mid-back, moving toward /ʊ/ish). - UK/AU: /ɔː/ in the first syllable with less pronounced rhotic influence; the /r/ may be non-rhotic in some contexts, softening but not eliminating the linking to /ɪŋ/. - Across all, maintain relaxed jaw and lips; avoid tensing throat muscles. Use IPA anchors: /ˈsnoʊrɪŋ/ (US) vs /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/ (UK/AU).
Snore is traced to Middle English snoren, from Old English snorian, related to the Proto-Germanic root *snurjaną which conveyed the sense of making a rough noise during sleep. The word likely merged with Germanic languages in the early medieval period as a onomatopoeic imitation of the vibrating throat sounds experienced during sleep. By the 14th–15th centuries, the verb form snore was well established in English, with the noun snoring emerging as a gerundive noun describing the act or result of snoring. Over centuries, the term broadened to cover the audible breathiness audible in sleep disorders and became common in medical and lay contexts alike. In modern usage, snoring refers not only to the act itself but to the social and health implications, including potential association with sleep apnea. The word’s phonetic structure—two syllables with the r-controlled /ɔː/ or /ɔr/ vowel and the rhotacized ending—mirrors the characteristic nasal and throat vibration that defines the sound itself. Overall, snoring has evolved from a simple natural noise into a term with clinical and social significance. First known use in English literature appears in transcriptions of folk remedies and anecdotes from the late medieval era, with more formal medical discussion appearing in the 19th and 20th centuries as sleep medicine emerged as a discipline.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Snoring" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Snoring"
-ing sounds
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