TRAN-zit-ing
/ˈtɹænzɪtɪŋ/
transiting is pronounced TRAN-zit-ing (/ˈtɹænzɪtɪŋ/). Transiting is the act of passing through or across something, often in a formal or technical context (like transit through a region, or transitioning in time or space). It can function as an adjective or a verb form (present participle) describing movement or passage, particularly in contexts like travel, astronomy, or state changes. The term emphasizes movement from one place or condition to another rather than staying put.
Transiting is the act of passing through or across something, often in a formal or technical context (like transit through a region, or transitioning in time or space). It can function as an adjective or a verb form (present participle) describing movement or passage, particularly in contexts like travel, astronomy, or state changes. The term emphasizes movement from one place or condition to another rather than staying put.
"The spacecraft is transiting the planet's equator on its voyage."
"Transit authorities are monitoring traffic as a new transit corridor opens."
"During the eclipse, the planet's disk is transiting the star, briefly obscuring it."
You pronounce it as /ˈtrænˌzɪtɪŋ/. The primary stress is on the first syllable: TRANS-, followed by a secondary stress on the second syllable -ZIT-, with a short I in -tɪ-. The final -ing is a clear -ɪŋ. In connected speech, you’ll rarely reduce the vowels in the middle syllables; keep /z/ sound crisp: transi-ting. Audio reference you can check: Cambridge or Forvo entries for transiting will show /ˈtrænˌzɪtɪŋ/.
Common errors include: (1) Misplacing stress, saying tran-SIT-ing with the stress on the second syllable; (2) Slurring the /z/ into a /s/ or misproducing the /ˈtræns/ vs /ˈtrænz/ cluster; ensure the /z/ is voiced; (3) Reducing the middle vowel to a schwa like /tə/—keep /ɪ/ in tɪ; correct by practicing a light, quick /zɪ/ sequence and a sharp /t/ before the final /ɪŋ/. Practicing with contrasts helps: TRANS- vs tran-SIT-.
In US and UK you’ll hear the same core /ˈtrænˌzɪtɪŋ/, but rhoticity can affect preceding vowels in connected speech; Americans may link /træ̃nˈzɪtɪŋ/ with a slightly tinier vowel before z; Australians typically maintain a clear /æ/ and crisp /z/, with less a/darkening under the following syllable. The main difference is in tempo and intonation rather than phoneme changes; the /z/ remains voiced and the final -ing remains /-ɪŋ/ across these accents.
Because you combine a voiced affricate-like /t͡s/ transition with a cluster that includes a voiced /z/ and a final velar nasal /ŋ/. The timing must keep voicing cleanly separated across syllables while not losing the /z/ in /zɪ-/; the /tr/ plus the /æ/ vowel can trip you if you’re not careful with starting position and mouth shape. Focus on crisp alveolar contact for /t/ and a steady /z/ followed by a quick /ɪŋ/.
Watch the syllable boundary: trans- (first syllable) ends with /n/ joined to the /z/ of -z- in -zɪt-. Avoid merging /zɪ/ with a long /ɪː/ or an /s/ sound. Also check the final -ing: many non-native speakers reduce /ɪŋ/ to /iŋ/ or mispronounce as /ɪn/. Keep the final nasal distinct and ensure the preceding vowel in -zɪ- is short and lax.
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US vs UK vs AU: • US: rhotic and clear /r/ in surrounding phrases, keep /z/ fully voiced. • UK: non-rhotic context, but transiting doesn’t rely on /r/; maintain a clear /z/ and a tighter /t/ transition. • AU: tends to be a flatter intonation with less vowel reduction; keep /æ/ as a bright vowel and maintain a strong /z/.
Transiting derives from the verb transit, which comes from Latin transitus, from transire meaning to go across. The Latin trans- means across, and ire means to go. In English, transit developed to describe movement or passage, including the act of passing through a place, the system of transportation (as in public transit), or the astronomical sense of a body moving across another’s disk. The present participle form transiting appeared in English to describe ongoing movement, with transiting through time, space, or through a medium. The term has grown into scientific, astronomical, logistical, and civic vocabularies, retaining the core sense of crossing a boundary or threshold. First recorded uses appear in mid- to late-modern English texts related to botany and astronomy, later expanding into transport and infrastructure discourse as transit systems and orbital mechanics became more central to technical writing. Across centuries, the root words consistently emphasize crossing a boundary: from transire (to go across) in Latin, through transit in English, into modern compounds like transiting, transit, and transit-oriented planning.
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Words that rhyme with "transiting"
-ing sounds
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