fondling
/ˈfɒndlɪŋ/noun, verb
fondling is spelled F-O-N-D-L-I-N-G: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fondling means “A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fondling is fondlings.
How many letters and syllables are in fondling?
| Letters | 8: F-O-N-D-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th 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 fondling?
Fondling appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 fondling?
- /ˈfɒndlɪŋ/
As a noun (“The act of caressing; manifestation of tenderness”): /ˈfɒnd(ə)lɪŋ/, [ˈfɒn.dɫ̩.ɪŋ].
Fondling 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-fondling.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fondling2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fondling
- fondlings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fondling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA foolish person.
- 2
A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved.
- 3
The act of caressing; manifestation of tenderness.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of fondle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does fondling come from?
From fond + -ling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).