gong
/ɡɔŋ/noun, verb
gong is spelled G-O-N-G: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gong means “A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gong is gongs.
How many letters and syllables are in gong?
| Letters | 4: G-O-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 gong?
Gong appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th 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 gong?
- UK /ɡɒŋ/
- US /ɡɔŋ/
- /ɡɑŋ/
Gong has one syllable (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-gong.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gong?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gong from its last stressed vowel (/ɔŋ/):
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 gong
- gong ]
- gongs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gonging participle, present
- gonged participle, past
- gang
- gonge
- goonge
- goung
- gounge
- gung
- gunge
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gong mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer.
- 2
UKslangA medal or award, particularly Knight Bachelor.
- 3
A metal target that emits a sound when it has been hit.
- 4
A kind of cultivation energy, more powerful than qi.
- 5
An advanced practice that cultivates such energy.
- 6
obsoleteAn outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
- 7
obsoleteThe contents of an outhouse pit: shit.
verb
- 1
To make the sound of a gong; to ring a gong.
- 2
To halt (originally, a contestant in a talent show; later, a performer, a speaker).
- 3
To warn.
The driver gonged the pedestrian crossing the tracks, but the pedestrian didn't stop.
- 4
UKslangTo give an award or medal to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gong in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense percussion instrument:
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 gong come from?
Borrowed from Malay gong (possibly onomatopoeic).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).