alarming
/əˈlɑɹm.ɪŋ/adjective, verb
alarming is spelled A-L-A-R-M-I-N-G: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, alarming means “Causing apprehension, fear or alarm; frightening” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in alarming?
| Letters | 8: A-L-A-R-M-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is alarming?
Alarming appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 alarming?
- UK /əˈlɑːm.ɪŋ/
- US /əˈlɑɹm.ɪŋ/
Alarming has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-alarming.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with alarming?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as alarming from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹmɪŋ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: marginal.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of alarming
- more alarming comparative
- most alarming superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alarming mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing apprehension, fear or alarm; frightening.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of alarm
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alarming in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense causing alarm:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | alarmant |
| German | alarmierend |
| Portuguese | alarmante |
| Spanish | alarmante |
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.