TUR-ning
/ˈtɝnɪŋ/
turning is pronounced TUR-ning (/ˈtɝnɪŋ/). Turning refers to the act of changing direction or orientation, or the action of rotating around an axis. It can describe both physical motion (a wheel turning) and metaphorical shifts (turning points in a story). In everyday use, it often functions as a present participle or gerund, modifying nouns or linking clauses. The word conveys gradual or decisive change depending on context.
Turning refers to the act of changing direction or orientation, or the action of rotating around an axis. It can describe both physical motion (a wheel turning) and metaphorical shifts (turning points in a story). In everyday use, it often functions as a present participle or gerund, modifying nouns or linking clauses. The word conveys gradual or decisive change depending on context.
"The car is turning left at the next intersection."
"Her mood is turning brighter as the day goes on."
"The project is turning a profit after several tough months."
Turn-ing is two syllables: /ˈtɜːn.ɪŋ/ in UK/US and /ˈtɝː.nɪŋ/ in General American. The stress is on the first syllable. Start with an open back rounded vowel for the American /ɝː/ or a mid-back /˜ɜː/ quality depending on accent, then bring the tongue to a close to produce /n/ and finish with a velar nasal /ŋ/. The /t/ is typically a light alveolar stop, often unreleased in fluent speech. Ensure your lips stay relaxed while the tongue contacts the alveolar ridge for /t/ and quickly glide into the nasal /ɪŋ/.”,
Common errors include: 1) under-articulating the /t/ leading to a flap-like sound or a quick /ɾ/ in American English; 2) misproducing the rhotic vowel in /ɜː/ or /ɝː/, producing a more fronted vowel like /iː/ or /eɪ/; 3) pronouncing /ŋ/ distinctly without linking to /ɪ/ in fast speech. Correction tips: use a crisp alveolar /t/ at the onset, relax the jaw to avoid over-nasalization, and practice keeping the /ɜː/ or /ɝː/ vowel steady before the nasal. In rapid speech, connect /ˈtɜːn/ to /ɪŋ/ smoothly without adding extra vowel sounds.”,
US: /ˈtɝː.nɪŋ/ with rhotacized /ɝː/ in stressed syllable, clear /ɪ/ in second syllable, final /ŋ/. UK: /ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/ with a central/open /ɜː/ and less rhotic coloring; AU: /ˈtɜːnɪŋ/ similar to UK but with Australian vowel quality leaning toward /ɪ/ in some speakers and less distinctive /ɜː/. Across all, the /t/ is unreleased or light in rapid speech; the /ɪŋ/ cluster often merges with a short schwa in casual speech. Practicing with listening to native examples in each region helps align mouth positions to the regional vowel color.”,
The difficulty centers on the vowel quality of /ɝː/ (US) or /ɜː/ (UK/AU) and the transition into the nasal /ŋ/. Learners often substitute a front vowel (e.g., /tɜːnɪŋ/ as /tɛnɪŋ/) or insert an extra vowel sound before the /ŋ/. Also, maintaining a clean /t/ before a nasal can be tricky; in rapid speech, it can elide or become a softer /d/ or /ɾ/. Focus on keeping the nucleus of the first syllable rounded and retraction stable while the tongue quickly glides into /ŋ/.”,
Unique SEO angle: people often search for how to say ‘turning’ in contexts like driving directions, storytelling (turning point), or mechanical terms. Emphasize the first-syllable vowel quality and the seamless linking to the nasal /ŋ/. Optimize for phrases like “how to pronounce turning” and “turning pronunciation tips” with IPA and regional variants to capture distinct queries. Provide structured FAQs with IPA, and include practical examples showing the difference between slow careful pronunciation and natural connected speech.”}],
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US: rhotics and a tense /ɝː/ nucleus, sometimes lengthened; UK: non-rhotic, /ɜː/ with more schwa-like quality in some speakers; AU: vowel qualities lean toward /ɜː/ or /ɜːr/ depending on region, with less rhotacization in vowels. Vowel transitions: ensure /ˈtɜː/ vs /ˈtɝː/ reflect regional norms. Consonants: /t/ can be aspirated or flapped; /ŋ/ should be velar with back of tongue touching soft palate. IPA references: US /ˈtɝː.nɪŋ/; UK /ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/; AU /ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/. Practical tips: exaggerate the first vowel slightly in practice to feel the tongue root retraction, then reduce to natural sound.”,
Turning comes from Old English turnian, akin to turnian (to turn) and turn, with roots in Proto-Germanic *turnijananą and Proto-Indo-European *ter- (to turn, to twist). The sense evolution tracks a common path from literal rotation to metaphorical shifts in fate or circumstances. By Middle English, turning described the act of rotating or twisting, and extended to mean a change in direction or course. The participle form turning emerged to describe ongoing action (as in turning the wheel, turning a corner) and later as a noun phrase (the turning of events). The word retains cognates in German (drehen), Dutch (draaien), and Scandinavian languages, all reflecting the core idea of motion about an axis. First known written usage in English appears in medieval texts, often in the form turnyng or turnynges, indicating the continuous action or process of turning, before stabilizing into the modern gerund noun and present participle usage in Early Modern English. Over time, figurative uses expanded to domains such as politics (turning the tide) and storytelling (a turning point), underscoring its versatility in describing direction, change, and transformation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "turning" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "turning"
-ing sounds
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