Pronunciation

How to pronounce “meaning

“meaning” is pronounced /ˈminɪŋ/ (MEE-ning) in American English and /miːnɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mean”.
The sound

Say “meaning” in 2 beats

Say it like this

meaning

/ˈminɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. meanmistress
  2. ingnɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈminɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/miːnɪŋ/
Respelling
MEE-ning
Syllables
2 — MEAN-ing
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MEAN-ing. “mean” 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

/ˈminɪŋ/

British

/miːnɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “meaning” means

  1. noun

    the message that is intended or expressed or signified

    what is the meaning of this sentence

  2. noun

    the idea that is intended

    What is the meaning of this proverb?

  3. verb

    mean or intend to express or convey

    You never understand what I mean!

Say it in a sentence

She finally understood the meaning behind his strange note.
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

meaning”, answered

How do you pronounce “meaning”?

“meaning” is pronounced /ˈminɪŋ/ (MEE-ning) in American English and /miːnɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mean”. Build it as MEAN-ing, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “meaning” have?

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

Is “meaning” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈminɪŋ/ (MEE-ning); British English says /miːnɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “meaning” mean?

As a noun: the message that is intended or expressed or signified For example: “what is the meaning of this sentence” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “meaning”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “meaning” 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.