STRUHG-uh-ling
/ˈstɹʌɡəlɪŋ/
struggling is pronounced STRUHG-uh-ling (/ˈstɹʌɡəlɪŋ/). Struggling is the ongoing experience of making a sustained or concerted effort but failing to achieve a desired result. It often implies difficulty, challenge, or hardship, especially under pressure or when learning something new. Used across contexts—from personal finances to performance—to indicate persistent effort without immediate success.
Struggling is the ongoing experience of making a sustained or concerted effort but failing to achieve a desired result. It often implies difficulty, challenge, or hardship, especially under pressure or when learning something new. Used across contexts—from personal finances to performance—to indicate persistent effort without immediate success.
- Misplacing stress on the second syllable: You should keep the primary stress on the first syllable: STRUHG-əl-ing. - Over-pronouncing the middle /əl/; it should be a light, quick schwa; avoid turning it into a full syllable with extra vowels. - Final /ɪŋ/ confusion; do not add a separate /ɪ/ before the /ŋ/; end with a crisp /ɪŋ/ to maintain natural rhythm. - Tense mid-speech; relax the jaw and tongue for a smoother flow; tension makes the word sound clipped. - Clustering issues; don’t insert extra vowels to break up /str/; keep your lips ready for the /s-t-r/ cluster and release into /ɡ/. Practice with connected speech at natural pace to avoid hyper-enunciating.
"She’s been struggling to balance work and study since the baby arrived."
"The product is struggling in the market due to stiff competition."
"He’s been struggling with anxiety after the move to a new city."
Pronounce it as /ˈstrʌɡ.əl.ɪŋ/. Start with the stressed first syllable /ˈstrʌɡ/ where /ʌ/ is the short 'uh' like in 'strut'. The middle is a light /əl/ with a schwa, and end with /ɪŋ/. Keep the lips rounded slightly for the /ʌ/ then relax for /ə/ and finish with the clear nasal /ŋ/. In fluent speech, the three syllables flow: STRUHG-uh-ling. Audio reference cues: stress on the first syllable; avoid an overly strong middle or final syllable.
Common errors include over-stressing the second syllable or mispronouncing the middle as /ɪ/ or /iː/, leading to /ˈstrɪɡ.əl.ɪŋ/ or /ˈstraɡ.əl.ɪŋ/. Another frequent issue is pronouncing the final /ɪŋ/ as /ɪn/ or dropping the /ŋ/ entirely in rapid speech. To correct: keep the first syllable as /ˈstrʌɡ/ with a clear short /ʌ/, use a weak /ə/ for the middle /əl/, and finish with /ɪŋ/; keep the tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for the initial /str/ cluster and avoid adding a vowel between /ˈstr/ and /ɡ/. Practice gentle, continuous airflow to avoid a clipped ending.
In US, /ˈstrʌɡ.əl.ɪŋ/ with rhotic linking after the vowel, the /r/ in 'str' remains prominent but quickly transitions to /ʌ/. In UK, non-rhotic tendencies may reduce post-vocalic r and the /ɡ.əl/ can be slightly more syllabic with a lighter /ə/. In AU, vowels may be broader; /ʌ/ can be closer to /ɐ/ for some speakers, with a slightly flatter intonation. Across accents, the main differences are vowel quality in /ʌ/, the degree of rhoticity and the speed of the middle schwa, and how firmly the final /ɪŋ/ lands. Listen for the initial consonant cluster and ensure the middle vowel remains a light, unstressed schwa.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster /str/ followed by the unstressed, weak middle /əl/ and the final /ɪŋ/. Coordinating three syllables with a stressed first syllable while keeping the middle vowel light can be tricky in rapid speech. Learners often add an unnecessary vowel after /str/ or overemphasize the middle syllable, which disrupts rhythm. Focus on a clean /str/ onset, a quick, soft /əl/, and a crisp /ɪŋ/ rather than dragging any segment. Consistent practice with connected speech helps automate the flow.
Is there a noticeable pause between the /ɡ/ and /əl/ in careful speech, or is it continuously blended? In careful enunciation, you can insert a light, almost imperceptible glottal or schwa transition between /ɡ/ and /əl/ to ease the transition, but in natural speech it is usually blended as /ˈstrʌɡ.əl.ɪŋ/. The key is keeping the /ɡ/ release and the /əl/ very light and fast, so the syllables flow without an audible break.
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- US: maintain rhoticity and allow a strong /ɹ/ in /str/. The /ʌ/ in /strʌɡ/ is clear, not tense; keep the jaw relaxed. - UK: slightly lighter /ɹ/ or rhotic release depending on speaker; soft /ə/ in the middle; smoother transitions; can be less rhotic in some dialects. - AU: vowels tend to be broader; /ʌ/ may approach /ɐ/ and /ə/ can be more centralized; keep the final /ɪŋ/ crisp but swift. IPA references: US /ˈstrʌɡ.əl.ɪŋ/, UK /ˈstrʌɡ.ə.lɪŋ/, AU /ˈstrʌɡ.ə.lɪŋ/. General tip: focus on three segments as a flowing unit, not discrete; ensure the /str/ cluster is clean by placing tongue tip at the alveolar ridge and maintaining steady airflow.
The verb struggle in English derives from Old English styrgle or stort or strangian?—unclear. The general sense of “to strive with forcefully” appears in Early Modern English via Middle English borrowings from Old French estrangler? and Latin strāgulus (to constrict) via Germanic roots. The modern sense of “to make strenuous or strenuous effort” gradually shifted toward “to have difficulty” or “to contend” with obstacles. By the 16th–17th centuries, struggling had expanded from physical conflict or laborious effort to include cognitive or emotional struggle. The -ling suffix (resulting in a gerund/participle form) develops in Middle English, indicating ongoing action. First known uses appear in poetic and legal texts describing battles or labor, morphing into everyday usage for personal effort and hardship during the Early Modern period. In contemporary usage, struggling commonly modifies individuals, teams, economies, or systems in persistent difficulty, often with an implicit sense of resilience despite setbacks.
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Words that rhyme with "struggling"
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