/ˈwɝiɪŋ/
worrying is pronounced /ˈwɝiɪŋ/. Worrying is the adjective or verb form related to worry: causing concern or anxiety, or the act of feeling uneasy or troubled. It often describes situations, events, or thoughts that provoke steady, lingering anxiety. In verb form, it means to feel or express concern about something in a way that may be persistent or excessive.
Say it backWorrying is the adjective or verb form related to worry: causing concern or anxiety, or the act of feeling uneasy or troubled. It often describes situations, events, or thoughts that provoke steady, lingering anxiety. In verb form, it means to feel or express concern about something in a way that may be persistent or excessive.
- You: You might mispronounce by softening the first vowel to a schwa, saying "wur-ee-ing". Correction: keep the stressed /ɔ/ quality: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/. - You: You may drop the /r/ in non-rhotic contexts, producing /ˈwoːiŋ/ or /ˈwɒiŋ/. Correction: keep a clear rhotic or a pronounced /r/ depending on dialect, even if subtle. - You: You could lengthen the final /ɪŋ/ making /ˈwɔr.iːŋ/. Correction: keep final /ɪ/ short and the nasal /ŋ/ crisp. Practice with careful tempo and minimal pairs to lock vowel and consonant length.
"The ongoing war is worrying for residents in the region."
"She was worrying about deadlines and stayed up late planning."
"The doctor said the test results were worrying, but not definitive."
Worrying is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/ in US and UK. Start with an open back rounded vowel /ɔ/ like 'law' for the stressed first syllable, then a light /ri/ before the final /ŋ/. Keep the tongue high for the /r/ in American pronunciation if you’re using rhotic American speech, and ensure the /ɪ/ is a short, lax vowel before the final /ŋ/. Audio reference: imagine saying 'wor-ree-ing' quickly, with crisp /r/ and a soft ending.
Common mistakes: (1) Overstressing the second syllable or turning it into two clearer syllables (/ˈwɔːr.i.ɪŋ/). (2) Slurring the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, making /wɔːjɪŋ/ or dropping the /ɪ/ before the final /ŋ/. (3) Confusing /ɔ/ with /ɒ/; UK listeners may hear /ˈwɒr.i.ɪŋ/ with a broader /ɒ/. Corrections: keep the /r/ crisp if rhotic, maintain a clear /ɪ/ before /ŋ/, and keep syllable boundaries tight: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/. Practicing with minimal pairs like ‘worrying’ vs ‘warying’ can help solidify the pattern.
US: rhotic /r/ is pronounced in all positions; /ɔ/ in stressed syllable tends toward open back /ɔ/; the sequence /wɔr.i/ has a clearer /r/ and a shorter /ɪ/ before /ŋ/. UK: often non-rhotic, /r/ is non-pronounced in coda position; the stressed vowel may be slightly more open as /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ depending on dialect; /ˈwɒr.i.ɪŋ/ might feel more centralized. AU: similar to UK but with broader vowel qualities; /ɔ/ can be closer to /ɒ/ or /ɒː/ depending on speaker; final /ŋ/ is velar nasal with less vowel length. Overall, rhoticity and vowel quality shift subtly; attention to the first syllable vowel and the presence or absence of an audible /r/ is key.
The difficulty stems from the cluster /wɔr.i.ɪŋ/: you must manage a robust initial /w/ and /ɔ/ vowel, a rolling or approximant /r/ (varying by dialect), then a brief /i/ before the final nasal /ŋ/. The sequence demands precise timing: rapid transition from the stressed syllable to a light /i/ and through to the velar nasal. Non-rhotic listeners may also misperceive the /r/ or omit it entirely. Practicing with malleable tempo and clear segmentation helps. IPA cues: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/.
A unique feature is the two soft vowels surrounding a tightly articulated /r/ in many dialects, producing a subtle triphthong-like rhythm: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/. The first syllable carries primary stress, and the middle /ri/ must blend quickly with a light /ɪ/ before the final /ŋ/. This creates a distinct cadence: ‘WOR‑ee-ing,’ with a crisp, but quick, transition between syllables.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /r/, keep /ɔ/ with open back quality; avoid over-elongating the final syllable. - UK: vary /r/; in most dialects nonrhotic, the first syllable vowel may shift to /ɒ/ or /ɔ/; ensure the /ŋ/ is not followed by an extra vowel. - AU: tends toward broader vowels, maintain /ɔ/ closeness to /ɒ/; avoid merging /ɪ/ with preceding vowel. Use IPA: /ˈwɔr.i.ɪŋ/ (US), /ˈwɒ.ri.ɪŋ/ (UK), /ˈwɒ.ri.ŋ/ with slight /ŋ/ closure.
Worrying derives from the verb worry, which in Middle English meant to strangle or throttle, or to seize with the teeth. The root is Germanic in origin, related to Old English weriġan “to choke, strangle” and further connected to Old High German werijan/Wērjan and Dutch waaren. Over centuries, the sense broadened from a literal act of choking to a figurative sense of torment or troubling fear. By early modern English, worry had become associated with mental agitation rather than physical pressure, but the present participle worrying preserves the sense of ongoing action: a continuous state or appearing to cause ongoing concern. First known use of worry in the sense of “to harass or trouble” appears in Middle English texts; by the 16th–18th centuries, worry as a psychological concern had become common in both written and spoken English, leading to the modern usage where worrying describes something that provokes persistent anxiety or is cause for concern in a situation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "worrying" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "worrying"
-ing sounds
-al) sounds
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