distressing
/dɪˈstɹɛsɪŋ/adjective, verb
distressing is spelled D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, distressing means “Causing distress; upsetting; distressful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in distressing?
| Letters | 11: D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd 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 distressing?
Distressing appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd 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 distressing?
- /dɪˈstɹɛsɪŋ/
Distressing 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-distressing.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of distressing
- more distressing comparative
- most distressing superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does distressing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing distress; upsetting; distressful.
The details of the ordeal can be distressing to some readers.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of distress
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Distressing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense causing distress; upsetting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | beängstigend, beunruhigend, furchteinflößend |
| Spanish | angustioso, distresante |
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.