Pronunciation

How to pronounce “asking

“asking” is pronounced /ˈæskɪŋ/ (A-sking) in American English and /askɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “as”.
The sound

Say “asking” in 2 beats

Say it like this

asking

/ˈæskɪŋ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /askɪŋ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. asæstress
  2. kingskɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈæskɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/askɪŋ/
Respelling
A-sking
Syllables
2 — AS-king
Stress
Stress the first syllable: AS-king. “as” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈæskɪŋ/

British

/askɪŋ/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “asking” means

  1. noun

    the verbal act of requesting

  2. verb

    inquire about

    I asked about their special today

  3. verb

    make a request or demand for something to somebody

    She asked him for a loan

Say it in a sentence

He kept asking about the results of the exam.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

asking”, answered

How do you pronounce “asking”?

“asking” is pronounced /ˈæskɪŋ/ (A-sking) in American English and /askɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “as”. Build it as AS-king, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “asking” have?

2: as · king. The beat lands on the first, “as”.

Is “asking” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈæskɪŋ/ (A-sking); British English says /askɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “asking” mean?

As a noun: the verbal act of requesting For example: “He kept asking about the results of the exam.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “asking”?

Stress the first syllable: AS-king. “as” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “asking” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.