WAWR-ning
/ˈwɔɹnɪŋ/
warning is pronounced WAWR-ning (/ˈwɔɹnɪŋ/). A warning is a notice or alarm that signals potential danger or a risk, prompting caution or preventive action. It can be a spoken alert, a written cue, or an indicator in a system or device. The concept emphasizes timely alertness to prevent harm or negative outcomes.
A warning is a notice or alarm that signals potential danger or a risk, prompting caution or preventive action. It can be a spoken alert, a written cue, or an indicator in a system or device. The concept emphasizes timely alertness to prevent harm or negative outcomes.
- You: You consistently mispronounce as WALRING by replacing /ɔː/ with /ɔ/ or /ɒ/, and you drop the final nasal to /n/. Fix: move to /ˈwɔː.rɪŋ/ with a real /ɹ/ and a crisp /ŋ/. - You: You blend the syllables too quickly, turning WARN- and -ING into one blurred syllable. Fix: practice slow, then speed up while keeping the two-syllable rhythm intact. - You: You under-articulate the final /ŋ/, sounding like /n/ or /m/. Fix: keep the tongue high toward the soft palate for /ŋ/. Avoid stopping the velum early. - You: You overemphasize the second syllable with a lax /ɪ/; aim for a short, crisp /ɪ/ not a full vowel. - You: You forget the r-coloring in US; if you’re US-based, keep the /ɹ/ sound clear; UK/AU listeners may hear a sharper non-rhotic.
"The flashing sign gave a loud warning about the storm approaching."
"Her boss issued a warning about missing deadlines if improvements aren’t made."
"A wildlife warning was sounded when the pack was spotted near the trail."
Pronounce it as two syllables: WARN-ing. IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈwɔːr.nɪŋ/. Start with a long back vowel [ɔː], then a clear rhotic [ɹ] in US; in non-rhotic UK variants you’ll hear a reduced /-ə/ or clipped /ɹ/. The second syllable is a short, lax /nɪŋ/. Emphasize the first syllable with a slight rise in pitch, then a quick, light schwa-less release in many speakers. See audio references in Pronounce and common dictionaries for listening examples.
Common errors: (1) Dropping the r in US speakers, making /ˈwɔː.nɪŋ/ sound like /ˈwɔː.nɪŋ/ with less rhoticity; (2) Reducing the first syllable too much, turning WARN into a weak syllable, producing /ˈwɜː.nɪŋ/; (3) Slurring into /ˈwɔː.nɪn/ or /ˈwɔːrɪn/ by not releasing the final /ŋ/. Correction: keep a crisp /ɹ/ or an audible rhotic in US, ensure the /ŋ/ is velar nasal with final tongue tip close to alveolar ridge, and sustain a clear short /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Practice with minimal pairs to separate /ɔː/ from /ɒ/ and maintain final velar nasal.
US tends to be rhotic with a clear /ɹ/ and a longer /ɔː/ in stressed syllable, e.g., /ˈwɔːr.nɪŋ/. UK often exhibits non-rhoticity with a shorter /ɔː/ and a lighter /ɹ/ or only a syllabic /n/. Australian blends similar to UK but with slightly flatter vowel quality and more centralized /ɪ/ in the second syllable. All share the two-syllable pattern; differences are in rhoticity and vowel quality. Listening to native samples will reveal subtle shifts.
The difficulty lies in balancing the post-vocalic /ɹ/ in rhotic varieties, ensuring the first syllable maintains the long, tense /ɔː/ while not letting the /ɔː/ drift into /ɒ/. Also, the final cluster /ŋ/ requires a clear velar nasal with the tongue touching the velum, not a nasalized /n/. People often reduce the second syllable’s vowel. Focus on keeping energy in WARN and a crisp, final /ŋ/.
A helpful tip is to practice the boundary between the two syllables with a tiny pause-like boundary and emphasize the first syllable with a higher pitch before dropping to the second syllable. Visualize the mouth shaping: start with a rounded, wide mouth for /ɔː/, then transition to a small, quick /ɪ/ before the final /ŋ/. This makes the rhythm clear and reduces blending.
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- US: Emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ in the first syllable; keep /ɔː/ long but not tenser than needed; second syllable /ɪŋ/ should be short and clipped. - UK: Often non-rhotic; the /ɹ/ is weaker or absent; first syllable /ɔː/ can be shorter; final /ŋ/ is similar. - AU: Similar to UK but with slightly more centralized vowel qualities and a more relaxed /ɹ/ in some speakers. - All: The stress remains on the first syllable; the rhythm is two equal-ish beats; practice with IPA cues: /ˈwɔː.rɪŋ/.
Warning derives from the Old English word warnian, meaning to incite or admonish, from wærn meaning defense or protection, and related to Old High German warnōn. The term originally carried the sense of guarding or advising against danger. By Middle English, warning had evolved to describe an official or informal notice about impending danger, often in law, military, or safety contexts. The word’s semantic shift toward signaling risk and urging caution emerged as societies relied more on warnings in public safety, navigation, and weaponry. Through the centuries, warning became a standard term in legal and engineering vocabularies, denoting a formal statement or signal designed to prevent harm. The first known usage appears in legal-administrative texts and nautical logs where captains issued warnings about weather or shoals, eventually expanding to everyday safety notices and modern emergency alerts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "warning" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "warning" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "warning"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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