STAH-ping
/ˈstɑpɪŋ/
stopping is pronounced STAH-ping (/ˈstɑpɪŋ/). Stopping is the gerund or present participle of stop, referring to the act of bringing something to a halt or ending an action. It can function as a noun or verb form in continuous contexts (e.g., stopping the car, stopping by). In phonetic terms, it consists of a syllable with a final /p/ or /t/ closure, producing a concise, resolved ending sound in common English usage.
Stopping is the gerund or present participle of stop, referring to the act of bringing something to a halt or ending an action. It can function as a noun or verb form in continuous contexts (e.g., stopping the car, stopping by). In phonetic terms, it consists of a syllable with a final /p/ or /t/ closure, producing a concise, resolved ending sound in common English usage.
"She is stopping at the red light before turning left."
"We were stopping by to say hello on our way home."
"The rain is stopping, but the streets are still slick."
The word is /ˈstɒpɪŋ/ in UK/US accents (Australian shares /ˈstɒpɪŋ/). Stress is on the first syllable: STOP-ing. Start with /st/ as in stop, then the short /ɒ/ as in 'lot' (UK), followed by the /p/ plosive released into the consonant /ɪ/ (as in 'kit') and final nasal /ŋ/. In careful speech, keep the /p/ clearly released before the /ɪŋ/.
Common errors: (1) Deleting the /p/ or turning /p/ into a soft /b/ due to pace; ensure a crisp bi-labial stop before /ɪŋ/. (2) Mispronouncing the vowel as /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ for some speakers; use the short /ɒ/ in UK English and an open back /ɑ/ variant for some US dialects is possible but standard is /ɒ/ in rhotic accents. (3) Slurring the /t/ into a flap or skipping /ɪ/; keep /t/ released as a clean stop before the /ɪ/. Correct by practicing minimal pairs STOP/STOPPING and word-internal pauses.
US/UK/AU share /ˈstɒpɪŋ/ in most educated pronunciations; the main differences lie in the vowel quality /ɒ/ (British traditional) vs /ɑ/ in some American dialects, and rhoticity can affect preceding vowels in connected speech. Australians often have a broader /ɒ/ and less retroflex r. The final /ŋ/ tends to be velar nasal in all, but the preceding /ɪ/ may be reduced in rapid speech in US. In careful speech, maintain the /ˈstɒpɪŋ/ pattern with clear plosive /p/ release and nasal /ŋ/.
The difficulty centers on the transition from the plosive /p/ to the vowel /ɪ/ and the following nasal /ŋ/. You must compress the /p/ release with the onset of /ɪ/ and ensure the tongue blocks at the alveolar ridge for a clean /t/–/p/ release if the word embeds different allophones in connected speech. Additionally, maintaining the right vowel quality /ɒ/ (or /ɑ/) and the final velar nasal /ŋ/ without nasalization of the preceding vowel heightens challenge in rapid speech.
A unique aspect is ensuring the crisp release of the final plosive before the vowel onset in -ping, where many learners slip to /p/ or /b/ or conflate with /t/; you should articulate a distinct /p/ release, then glide into /ɪ/ and end with a clean /ŋ/. This precise transition is what gives stopping its characteristic crisp, decisive ending sound.
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Stopping derives from stop, a Germanic root (Old English stoppian) meaning to press or close, later converging to halt or bring to a standstill. The noun form halt shares cognates across Germanic languages. In Middle English, stopping would have appeared as stopping or stoppynge in text, aligning with the progressive -ing suffix that marks ongoing action. The verb stop itself comes from Old English stiepan (to press down), with later semantic shift to mean to end movement or progress. The modern pronunciation settled into two common phonetic realizations of final consonants in connected speech: a realized stop with release at the final consonant in syllables such as -ping and -ting, and a tendency to reduce or assimilate when followed by consonants or in rapid speech. First known uses in English literature appear in the late medieval/early modern periods as “stoppynge” or “stopping” in reference to halting action, with evolving spelling standardization by the 15th–16th centuries and a stable modern form by the 18th century.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "stopping" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "stopping"
-ing sounds
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