THIK-uh-ning
/ˈθɪkənɪŋ/
thickening is pronounced THIK-uh-ning (/ˈθɪkənɪŋ/). Thickening is the process of becoming thicker or more viscous, or the act of making something thicker. In linguistics, thickening can describe an increase in density or consistency of a substance, or metaphorically, a narrative or atmosphere that grows more intense. The term covers physical changes, culinary contexts, and analytical descriptions in science and writing.
Thickening is the process of becoming thicker or more viscous, or the act of making something thicker. In linguistics, thickening can describe an increase in density or consistency of a substance, or metaphorically, a narrative or atmosphere that grows more intense. The term covers physical changes, culinary contexts, and analytical descriptions in science and writing.
- Mispronounce initial /θ/ by substituting /t/ or /f/; remedial tip: place tongue between teeth and practice with slow, airy /θ/ sound. - Over-enunciate the middle /ən/; fix by gliding into a light schwa and shortening it in rapid speech. - Add extra vowel before the -ing suffix, producing /-ɪɪŋ/; fix with a clean /-ɪŋ/ ending. - Rush the word in connected speech, losing the final /ŋ/; practice slow then accelerate, keeping the final nasal crisp. - In rapid sentences, the /k/ blends with the following /ən/; ensure you don’t insert an extra vowel between /k/ and /ən/.
"The sauce will thicken as it simmers over low heat."
"Researchers studied how the mucus thickening affects movement."
"The atmosphere thickening in the room signaled rising tension."
Say THIK-uh-ning with stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU: /ˈθɪk.ən.ɪŋ/. The first consonant cluster /θ/ is the voiceless dental fricative; the /ɪ/ is the short i as in 'kit'; the middle /k/ is a hard k; the second syllable reduces to /ən/ and ends with the /ɪŋ/ suffix. Keep the tongue high and the tip near the teeth, and avoid adding an extra syllable or vowel between /k/ and /ən/.
Common errors include substituting /s/ for initial /θ/ (s- becoming ‘sick-ken’), and over-articulating the middle /ən/ as a full syllable like ‘uh-n’ instead of a weak /ən/. Another miss is tensing the tongue for the /ɪŋ/ at the end or pronouncing it as /-ing/ with a hard /g/. To correct: keep the initial /θ/ by placing the tongue gently between the teeth and exhaling; reduce the middle to a relaxed /ən/; finish with a light /ɪŋ/ without adding a nasal stop immediately before.
In US speech, you’ll hear /ˈθɪk.ən.ɪŋ/ with a rhotic-free, crisp /r/ not involved. UK and Australian accents maintain a similar structure, but vowels may be slightly shorter in fast speech; some UK speakers reduce the /ən/ to a quick schwa + alveolar nasal, while AU speakers may have a slightly looser /ɪ/ in the first syllable. The main variation is the vowel quality in /ɪ/ and the timing between syllables. Overall, the rhyme and syllable count stay constant.
The difficulty lies in the initial /θ/ fricative—it's a voiceless dental sound produced with the tongue between the teeth, which many learners substitute with /f/ or /s/. The cluster /k/ followed by a schwa can be tricky, causing mis-timing between the stop and the nasal. Finally, the -ing suffix attaches to a root that ends with a consonant, so you must avoid adding a full extra vowel. Practice the sequence /θɪk.ən.ɪŋ/ with careful tongue placement and a light, continuous air flow.
There is no silent letter in thickening. All letters contribute to pronunciation: t-h-i-c-k-e-n-i-n-g. The initial 'th' is pronounced as /θ/, the ‘e’ in -en- is pronounced as a short schwa in many dialects, and the suffix -ing is pronounced as /ɪŋ/ rather than having any silent letters. The word’s difficulty comes from the /θ/ sound and the sequence of consonants rather than silent letters.
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US: /ˈθɪk.ən.ɪŋ/; the /ɪ/ is shorter, /ən/ is a reduced schwa; non-rhotic tendencies are subtle in US but some speakers reduce the /ə/ quickly. UK: /ˈθɪk.ən.ɪŋ/ with slightly crisper /t/ and a slightly longer /ɪ/; AU: similar to US, but the vowel qualities may be more centralized and the rhythm more clipped in casual speech. All three keep the final /-ɪŋ/ clearly; avoid replacing /θ/ with /f/ or /t/.
Thickening derives from the adjective thick, with the suffix -ing indicating a process or action. The origin of thick traces to Old English thicce, related to thick, dense, or heavy. The analytical suffix -ing appeared in Middle English to form gerunds and present participles, evolving to describe processes (e.g., thickening, hardening). The concept of increasing thickness emerged in everyday language to describe viscous change in liquids, gels, and pastes. Early literary usage appears in Middle English pharmacology and culinary texts, where cooks note sauces as they thicken during cooking. In scientific contexts, the term gained traction in material science and biology as researchers described cells, mucus, or powders gaining density. The compound thickening is now widely used across disciplines, including cooking, chemistry, biology, medicine, and data description, often paired with verbs of change (thicken, increase) to denote a gradual mobility or consistency change over time.
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Help others use "thickening" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "thickening" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "thickening" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "thickening"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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