WUR-king
/ˈwɝkɪŋ/
working is pronounced WUR-king (/ˈwɝkɪŋ/). Working is the present participle of work, used as an adjective or a verb form. It refers to engaged in labor or functioning effectively. In daily use, it denotes ongoing effort, performance, or activity, and often appears in phrases like 'working hard' or 'the working class.' The word combines the base verb with the -ing suffix, signaling process or continuity.
Working is the present participle of work, used as an adjective or a verb form. It refers to engaged in labor or functioning effectively. In daily use, it denotes ongoing effort, performance, or activity, and often appears in phrases like 'working hard' or 'the working class.' The word combines the base verb with the -ing suffix, signaling process or continuity.
"She is working late into the night to finish the project."
"The machine is working properly after the maintenance."
"They are a working couple who balance careers and family."
US: /ˈwɜr.kɪŋ/; UK: /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/; AU: /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/. Primary stress on the first syllable: WER-king. The /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ vowel is central-close with r-coloring in rhotic accents. The second syllable is a short /kɪŋ/ with a clear k sound and a nasal -ing ending. Keep the mouth slightly rounded, jaw relaxed, and avoid tensing the tongue on the /ɜː/ vowel. In rapid speech you may hear a subtle link: /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/.
Two frequent errors: (1) Overemphasizing the second syllable, producing /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/ with equal weight or delaying the /ɪŋ/. (2) Slurring or reducing the /r/ in non-rhotic environments, giving /ˈwə.kɪŋ/ instead of a clear /ɜr/ or /ɜːr/. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable, ensure the /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ is distinct before the /k/; articulate the /r/ if your dialect is rhotic, or maintain a dark, postvocalic r by curling the tongue slightly back. Practice with minimal pairs: /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/ vs /ˈwəː.kɪŋ/ to feel the difference.
US: clear rhotic /r/ in /ˈwɜːr.kɪŋ/, less vowel reduction when stressed; UK: non-rhotic in some dialects, but many speakers produce /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/ with reduced final r; AU: more centralized but still recognizable /ˈwɜː.kɪŋ/. Rhoticity and vowel quality vary: US maintains stronger r-coloring; UK often reduces postvocalic r, giving a shorter riser after the nucleus. The /ɜː/ or /ɜːr/ vowel tends to be more centralized in AU; in all, the second syllable /kɪŋ/ remains consistent, but vowel length and swallowing may occur in casual speech.
Key challenges: the stressed first syllable with /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ requires a mid-back tongue position and possible r-coloring; the /k/ immediately after a tense vowel can feel tight; the final -ing combines a velar stop with a nasal, which can blur in faster speech. People often turn /ɜːr/ into a schwa or /ɜ/ without rhoticity or reduce the /ŋ/. Overcoming involves precise tongue placement for /ɜː/ or /ɜr/, crisp /k/ release, and maintaining the nasal /ŋ/ without laryngeal tension.
Q: Is the 'r' fully pronounced in 'working' when spoken quickly? A: In rhotic dialects (US), you generally hear a subtle but present /r/ coloring in the /ɜːr/ segment, though it may be reduced in rapid or informal contexts. In non-rhotic UK dialects, the /r/ is less pronounced or dropped before consonants, but with careful speech you can still imply /ɜː/ quality. The key is the vocalic nucleus quality before the /ŋ/ and ensuring the /r/ does not affect the following nasal. This balance gives a natural flow in fast speech.
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The word working comes from the Old English weorcan, meaning to make, craft, or perform labor. It is related to the German arbeiten and Dutch werken, all sharing a Proto-Germanic root *werkanan- meaning to work or perform. The modern form appears in Middle English as wroken or warkin, with the suffix -ing morphing into the present participle and gerund form as English grammar evolved. By the 14th century, 'working' as a participial adjective and progressive verb form became standard in English, marking ongoing action or function. The semantic shift toward both labor in a physical sense and the efficiency or operation of machinery developed alongside industrialization, reinforcing 'working' as both a human action and a state of mechanism being in operation. First attested in writing in various forms during the late Middle English period, it solidified its current usage through centuries of linguistic adaptation and widespread adoption in work and sociopolitical language (e.g., 'working class,' 'working hours').
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "working" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "working"
-ing sounds
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