Pronunciation

How to pronounce “watching

“watching” is pronounced /ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/ (WAH-ching) in American English and /wɒtʃɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “watc”.
The sound

Say “watching” in 2 beats

Say it like this

watching

/ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/

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

2 beats
  1. watcstress
  2. hingtʃɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/wɒtʃɪŋ/
Respelling
WAH-ching
Syllables
2 — WATC-hing
Stress
Stress the first syllable: WATC-hing. “watc” 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

/ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/

British

/wɒtʃɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “watching” means

  1. noun

    the act of observing; taking a patient look

  2. verb

    look attentively

    watch a basketball game

  3. verb

    follow with the eyes or the mind

    Keep an eye on the baby, please!

Say it in a sentence

He spent the evening watching the storm roll in.
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

watching”, answered

How do you pronounce “watching”?

“watching” is pronounced /ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/ (WAH-ching) in American English and /wɒtʃɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “watc”. Build it as WATC-hing, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “watching” have?

2: watc · hing. The beat lands on the first, “watc”.

Is “watching” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈwɑtʃɪŋ/ (WAH-ching); British English says /wɒtʃɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “watching” mean?

As a noun: the act of observing; taking a patient look For example: “He spent the evening watching the storm roll in.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “watching”?

Stress the first syllable: WATC-hing. “watc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “watching” 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.