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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “having”

“having” is pronounced /ˈhævɪŋ/ (HA-ving) in American English and /havɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hav”.
The sound

Say “having” in 2 beats

Say it like this

having

/ˈhævɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. havhæstress
  2. ingvɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈhævɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/havɪŋ/
Respelling
HA-ving
Syllables
2 — HAV-ing
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HAV-ing. “hav” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈhævɪŋ/

British

/havɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “having” means

  1. verb

    have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense

    “She has $1,000 in the bank”

  2. verb

    have as a feature

    “This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France”

  3. verb

    go through (mental or physical states or experiences)

    “get an idea”

Say it in a sentence

“They are having a small gathering at the lake this weekend.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
hhæshort avvɪshort iŋng

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

Questions

“having”, answered

How do you pronounce “having”?

“having” is pronounced /ˈhævɪŋ/ (HA-ving) in American English and /havɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hav”. Build it as HAV-ing, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “having” have?

2: hav · ing. The beat lands on the first, “hav”.

Is “having” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈhævɪŋ/ (HA-ving); British English says /havɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “having” mean?

As a verb: have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense For example: “She has $1,000 in the bank” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “having”?

Stress the first syllable: HAV-ing. “hav” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “having” and see every sound

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