Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ongoing

“ongoing” is pronounced /ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/ (AHN-goh-ing) in American English and /ɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/ in British English, and /ˈɔnˌɡoʊɪŋ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑn”.
The sound

Say “ongoing” in 3 beats

Say it like this

ongoing

/ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/

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

3 beats
  1. ɑnɑnstress
  2. ɡoʊɡoʊ
  3. ɪŋɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/ɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/
Also accepted
/ˈɔnˌɡoʊɪŋ/
Respelling
AHN-goh-ing
Syllables
3 — ⱭN-ɡoʊ-ɪŋ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ⱭN-ɡoʊ-ɪŋ. “ɑn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/

British

/ɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “ongoing” means

  1. adjective

    currently happening

    an ongoing economic crisis

Say it in a sentence

The repairs to the harbour wall are still ongoing.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

ongoing”, answered

How do you pronounce “ongoing”?

“ongoing” is pronounced /ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/ (AHN-goh-ing) in American English and /ɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/ in British English, and /ˈɔnˌɡoʊɪŋ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑn”. Build it as ⱭN-ɡoʊ-ɪŋ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ongoing” have?

3: ɑn · ɡoʊ · ɪŋ. The beat lands on the first, “ɑn”.

Is “ongoing” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɑnˌɡoʊɪŋ/ (AHN-goh-ing); British English says /ɒŋɡəʊɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ongoing” mean?

As an adjective: currently happening For example: “an ongoing economic crisis”

Where is the stress in “ongoing”?

Stress the first syllable: ⱭN-ɡoʊ-ɪŋ. “ɑn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “ongoing” 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.