Pronunciation

How to pronounce “killing

“killing” is pronounced /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ (KI-ling) in American English and /kɪlɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kil”.
The sound

Say “killing” in 2 beats

Say it like this

killing

/ˈkɪlɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. kilstress
  2. linglɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈkɪlɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/kɪlɪŋ/
Respelling
KI-ling
Syllables
2 — KIL-ling
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KIL-ling. “kil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɪlɪŋ/

British

/kɪlɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “killing” means

  1. noun

    an event that causes someone to die

  2. noun

    the act of terminating a life

  3. noun

    a very large profit

Say it in a sentence

The frost ended up killing most of the tomato plants.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

killing”, answered

How do you pronounce “killing”?

“killing” is pronounced /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ (KI-ling) in American English and /kɪlɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kil”. Build it as KIL-ling, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “killing” have?

2: kil · ling. The beat lands on the first, “kil”.

Is “killing” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ (KI-ling); British English says /kɪlɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “killing” mean?

As a noun: an event that causes someone to die For example: “The frost ended up killing most of the tomato plants.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “killing”?

Stress the first syllable: KIL-ling. “kil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “killing” 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.