barking
bark·ing/ˈbɑɹkɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
barking is spelled B-A-R-K-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (bark·ing). It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, barking means “Clipping of barking mad” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in barking?
| Letters | 7: B-A-R-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bark·ing |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,731st 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; 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 barking?
Barking appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st 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 barking?
- US /ˈbɑɹkɪŋ/
- UK /ˈbɑːkɪŋ/
Barking has 2 syllables, split bark·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-barking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with barking
Also written: barking mad.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with barking?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as barking from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹkɪŋ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: braking.
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 barking
- more barking comparative
- most barking superlative
- barkings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does barking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
BritishslangClipping of barking mad.
He’s going to run the marathon in this hot weather dressed as Donald Duck – he must be barking!
noun
- 1
The action of the verb to bark.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of bark
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Barking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | aboiement |
| German | Bellen, Gebell |
| Spanish | ladradera, ladradura (disused), ladrería, ladrerío |
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 barking come from?
From Middle English berkyng, berkande, equivalent to bark + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).