breathing
breath·ing/ˈbɹiðɪŋ/noun, adjective, verb
breathing is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G: 9 letters and 2 syllables (breath·ing). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, breathing means “A diacritical mark indicating aspiration or lack thereof” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of breathing is breathings.
How many letters and syllables are in breathing?
| Letters | 9: B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: breath·ing |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,444th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 breathing?
Breathing appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th 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 breathing?
- UK /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/
- US /ˈbɹiðɪŋ/
Breathing has 2 syllables, split breath·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-breathing.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-breathing.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with breathing?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as breathing from its last stressed vowel (/iðɪŋ/):
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 breathing
- breathings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breathing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.
- 2
A diacritical mark indicating aspiration or lack thereof.
- 3
archaicTime to recover one's breath; hence, a delay, a spell of time.
- 4
Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration.
the breathings of the Holy Spirit
- 5
Aspiration; secret prayer.
adjective
- 1
Having life; living; alive.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of breathe
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breathing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of respiration:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | respiration |
| German | Atmen, Atmung |
| Portuguese | respiração |
| Spanish | respiración |
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 breathing come from?
From breathe + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).