driving
/ˈdɹaɪvɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
driving is spelled D-R-I-V-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 79 times per million words in written English, the 1,338th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, driving means “That drives (a mechanism or process)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in driving?
| Letters | 7: D-R-I-V-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 79 times per million words; the 1,338th 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 driving?
Driving appears 79 times per million words in written English, the 1,338th 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 driving?
- /ˈdɹaɪvɪŋ/
Driving 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-driving.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of driving
- more driving comparative
- most driving superlative
- drivings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does driving mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That drives (a mechanism or process).
- 2
That drives forcefully; strong; forceful; violent (of wind, rain, etc)
noun
- 1
The action of the verb to drive in any sense.
- 2
In particular, the action of operating a motor vehicle.
- 3
The act of driving the ball; hitting the ball a long distance, especially from the tee to the putting green.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of drive
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Driving in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | moteur , conduite |
| German | treibend , Fahren, Lenkung |
| Portuguese | condutor , direção, condução |
| Spanish | tractor, motor, propulsor, propelente, impulsor, motriz |
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 driving come from?
From Middle English dryvyng, drivende, from Old English drīfende, from Proto-Germanic *drībandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *drībaną (“to drive”), equivalent to drive + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian drieuwend, West Frisian driuwend, Dutch drijvend, German Low German drievend, German treibend, Swedish drivande.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).