acting
/ˈæk.tɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
acting is spelled A-C-T-I-N-G: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, acting means “Temporarily assuming the duties or authority of another person when they are unable to do their job” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in acting?
| Letters | 6: A-C-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 66 times per million words; the 1,602nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is acting?
Acting appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce acting?
- /ˈæk.tɪŋ/
Acting has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-acting.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of acting
- actings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does acting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Temporarily assuming the duties or authority of another person when they are unable to do their job.
The Acting Minister must sign Executive Council documents in a Minister's absence.
noun
- 1
archaicAn action or deed.
- 2
Something done by a party–so called to avoid confusion with the legal senses of deed and action.
- 3
Pretending.
- 4
The occupation of an actor.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of act
For quotations using this term, see Citations:acting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate acting?
Wiktionary records 4 abbreviations of acting: a., act., actg, actg..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Acting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intérimaire, par intérim |
| German | amtierend, stellvertretend, geschäftsführend , Schauspielkunst |
| Portuguese | interino, temporário , atuação, encenação |
| Spanish | interino, en funciones, suplente , actuación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does acting come from?
From act + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).