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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “being”

“being” is pronounced /ˈbiɪŋ/ (BEE-ing) in American English and /biːɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bi”.
The sound

Say “being” in 2 beats

Say it like this

being

/ˈbiɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. bibistress
  2. ɪŋɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈbiɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/biːɪŋ/
Respelling
BEE-ing
Syllables
2 — BI-ɪŋ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BI-ɪŋ. “bi” 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

/ˈbiɪŋ/

British

/biːɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “being” means

  1. noun

    the state or fact of existing

    “a point of view gradually coming into being”

  2. noun

    a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently

  3. verb

    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

    “John is rich”

Say it in a sentence

“Being early gave her time to review her notes before the interview.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
bbilong eɪshort iŋng

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

Questions

“being”, answered

How do you pronounce “being”?

“being” is pronounced /ˈbiɪŋ/ (BEE-ing) in American English and /biːɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bi”. Build it as BI-ɪŋ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “being” have?

2: bi · ɪŋ. The beat lands on the first, “bi”.

Is “being” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbiɪŋ/ (BEE-ing); British English says /biːɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “being” mean?

As a noun: the state or fact of existing For example: “a point of view gradually coming into being” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “being”?

Stress the first syllable: BI-ɪŋ. “bi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “being” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with B