Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reading

“reading” is pronounced /ˈɹidɪŋ/ (REE-ding) in American English and /ɹiːdɪŋ/ in British English, and /ˈɹɛdɪŋ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “read”.
The sound

Say “reading” in 2 beats

Say it like this

reading

/ˈɹidɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. readɹistress
  2. ingdɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈɹidɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/ɹiːdɪŋ/
Also accepted
/ˈɹɛdɪŋ/
Respelling
REE-ding
Syllables
2 — READ-ing
Stress
Stress the first syllable: READ-ing. “read” 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

/ˈɹidɪŋ/

British

/ɹiːdɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “reading” means

  1. noun

    the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

    his main reading was detective stories

  2. noun

    a particular interpretation or performance

    on that reading it was an insult

  3. noun

    a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument

    he could not believe the meter reading

Say it in a sentence

She spent the rainy afternoon reading by the fireplace.
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

reading”, answered

How do you pronounce “reading”?

“reading” is pronounced /ˈɹidɪŋ/ (REE-ding) in American English and /ɹiːdɪŋ/ in British English, and /ˈɹɛdɪŋ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “read”. Build it as READ-ing, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reading” have?

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

Is “reading” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹidɪŋ/ (REE-ding); British English says /ɹiːdɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “reading” mean?

As a noun: the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message For example: “his main reading was detective stories” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “reading”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “reading” 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.