TUHM-buh-ling
/ˈtʌmbəlɪŋ/
tumbling is pronounced TUHM-buh-ling (/ˈtʌmbəlɪŋ/). Tumbling is the act of performing acrobatic rolls or flips, typically in gymnastics or dance. As an adjective, it can describe things that are spinning or falling in disorder. The term emphasizes continuous, controlled movement, often with a sense of momentum and duration, and it commonly appears in athletic, recreational, and figurative contexts.
Tumbling is the act of performing acrobatic rolls or flips, typically in gymnastics or dance. As an adjective, it can describe things that are spinning or falling in disorder. The term emphasizes continuous, controlled movement, often with a sense of momentum and duration, and it commonly appears in athletic, recreational, and figurative contexts.
- You often flatten the vowel in the first syllable, turning /ˈtʌm/ into /ˈtuːm/ or /ˈtɒm/. Fix: keep a short, crisp /ʌ/ and finish with a closed lips /m/ before the /l/ start. - You may overemphasize the /l/ leading to an OTT /lɪŋ/ blend; aim for a clean transition from /m/ to /l/ with minimal vowel between. - In rapid speech, you can lose the /ŋ/ or merge to /n/; ensure the velar nasal is released with the back of tongue touching the soft palate and end in /ŋ/ for accuracy. - Reduce voicing in /t/ to a crisp stop; don’t breathe before you release.
"The gymnast practiced tumbling runs down the padded mat."
"A tumble of clothes spilled from the laundry basket."
"Her thoughts were tumbling after the sudden news."
You pronounce it as /ˈtʌm·lɪŋ/. The primary stress is on the first syllable: TUM- (lip rounded, jaw relatively closed) and -bling shares a short, lax vowel. The /ʌ/ is the short 'uh' as in 'cup', the /m/ is a bilabial nasal, and /lɪŋ/ ends with a velar nasal. In connected speech, you’ll link the /m/ and /l/ smoothly: /ˈtʌm.lɪŋ/. Listen for a crisp onset and quick, light final consonant with the -ing.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable (tu-MBLING) instead of TUM-bling. 2) Over-articulating the /l/ and making the /m/ too nasal. 3) Vowel quality slipping toward /ə/ or a longer /ɜː/ in rapid speech. Correction: keep /ˈtʌm/ as a clean, stressed syllable with a tight /m/ closure, then glide into /lɪŋ/ without inserting extra vowels. Practice with slow, precise syllable breaks: /ˈtʌm- lɪŋ/ and then blend.
US/UK/AU share /ˈtʌm.lɪŋ/, but rhoticity affects clarity only in linked speech. In US, /ˈtʌm/ is often clearly pronounced with a slightly rounded /ʌ/; UK speakers may exhibit a tighter /ɒ/ before nasal? Not typical; generally /ʌ/ remains. Australian speakers maintain /ʌ/ but can be more centralized; linking with /l/ can be slower in UK, with crisper /l/ and less vowel reduction in unstressed contexts. Overall, primary stress remains on first syllable across regions; the final -ing = /ɪŋ/ with a strong velar nasal.
Two main challenges: the initial cluster /tʌm/ requires a crisp /t/ with a quick stop before the nasal /m/, and the transition to /lɪŋ/ demands smooth tongue contact from bilabial to alveolar positions. The liquid /l/ can bleed into the subsequent /ɪŋ/ if not timed, and final /ŋ/ requires velar constriction without voicing. Mastery involves precise timing, light tongue-tip contact near alveolar ridge, and maintaining short vowel duration in /ɪ/.
The word uniquely pairs a front vowel onset with a lateral /l/ before a velar nasal /ŋ/. The syllable boundary is clear: /ˈtʌm/ + /lɪŋ/. The secondary issue is ensuring the /m/ ends with a closed mouth before the /l/ begins. Practically, you’ll hear a sharp but not abrupt /m/ release, followed by a smooth /l/ onset into /ɪŋ/.
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- US: /ˈtʌm.lɪŋ/ with a clear rhotic accent; maintain stress on first syllable in connected speech; link /m/ to /l/ smoothly. - UK: /ˈtʌm.lɪŋ/ similar, but a slightly more dental-alveolar articulation on /t/ and lighter /l/. - AU: /ˈtʌm.lɪŋ/ tends to be more relaxed; reduce vowel length before /l/ and keep /ŋ/ crisp.
Tumbling comes from Middle English tumelen, which meant to reel or to reel in a confused manner, possibly echoing theverb tumble via Old English tumblian. The broader sense of rolling or turning likely derives from Proto-Germanic *tumljaną, related to tuml- meaning fall or stumble, and to the noun tumble, which appears in English by the 15th century in the sense of a roll, tumble, or chaotic motion. Over time, tumbler-tumbl... (truncated for length)
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Words that rhyme with "tumbling"
-ing sounds
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