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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “helping”

“helping” is pronounced /ˈhɛlpɪŋ/ (HEL-ping) in American English and /hɛlpɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hel”.
The sound

Say “helping” in 2 beats

Say it like this

helping

/ˈhɛlpɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. helhɛlstress
  2. pingpɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈhɛlpɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/hɛlpɪŋ/
Respelling
HEL-ping
Syllables
2 — HEL-ping
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HEL-ping. “hel” 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

/ˈhɛlpɪŋ/

British

/hɛlpɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “helping” means

  1. noun

    an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal

    “the helpings were all small”

  2. verb

    give help or assistance; be of service

    “Everyone helped out during the earthquake”

  3. verb

    improve the condition of

    “These pills will help the patient”

Say it in a sentence

“She spent the afternoon helping her neighbor move furniture.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
hhɛshort ellppɪshort iŋng

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

Questions

“helping”, answered

How do you pronounce “helping”?

“helping” is pronounced /ˈhɛlpɪŋ/ (HEL-ping) in American English and /hɛlpɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hel”. Build it as HEL-ping, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “helping” have?

2: hel · ping. The beat lands on the first, “hel”.

Is “helping” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈhɛlpɪŋ/ (HEL-ping); British English says /hɛlpɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “helping” mean?

As a noun: an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal For example: “the helpings were all small” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “helping”?

Stress the first syllable: HEL-ping. “hel” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “helping” and see every sound

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