Pronunciation

How to pronounce “leaving

“leaving” is pronounced /ˈlivɪŋ/ (LEE-ving) in American English and /liːvɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “leav”.
The sound

Say “leaving” in 2 beats

Say it like this

leaving

/ˈlivɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. leavlistress
  2. ingvɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈlivɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/liːvɪŋ/
Respelling
LEE-ving
Syllables
2 — LEAV-ing
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LEAV-ing. “leav” 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

/ˈlivɪŋ/

British

/liːvɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “leaving” means

  1. noun

    the act of departing

  2. verb

    go away from a place

    At what time does your train leave?

  3. verb

    go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness

    She left a mess when she moved out

Say it in a sentence

She was leaving the office just as the storm started.
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

leaving”, answered

How do you pronounce “leaving”?

“leaving” is pronounced /ˈlivɪŋ/ (LEE-ving) in American English and /liːvɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “leav”. Build it as LEAV-ing, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “leaving” have?

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

Is “leaving” said differently in British English?

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

What does “leaving” mean?

As a noun: the act of departing For example: “She was leaving the office just as the storm started.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “leaving”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “leaving” 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.