eating
eat·ing/ˈi.tɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
eating is spelled E-A-T-I-N-G: 6 letters and 2 syllables (eat·ing). It appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, eating means “Bred to be eaten” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in eating?
| Letters | 6: E-A-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: eat·ing |
| In writing | 71 times per million words; the 1,486th 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 eating?
Eating appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th 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 eating?
- UK /ˈiːtɪŋ/
- US /ˈi.tɪŋ/
- US [ˈi.ɾɪŋ]
Eating has 2 syllables, split eat·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-eating.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with eating?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as eating from its last stressed vowel (/itɪŋ/):
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 eating
- eatings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does eating mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Bred to be eaten.
eating chickens; eating quails
- 2
Suitable to be eaten without being cooked.
Wait! That's not an eating apple.
noun
- 1
The act of ingesting food.
- 2
informalFood; cooking, cuisine.
I remember when we visited Aunt Martha's house, we had some really good eating!
- 3
The act of corroding or consuming some substance.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of eat
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Eating in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Essen |
| Portuguese | consumível , comestível |
| French | bouffe, manger |
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 eating come from?
From Middle English etynge, from Old English eting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).