handling
hand·ling/ˈhændl̩ɪŋ/noun, verb
handling is spelled H-A-N-D-L-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables (hand·ling). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handling means “A touching, controlling, managing, using, taking care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handling is handlings.
How many letters and syllables are in handling?
| Letters | 8: H-A-N-D-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hand·ling |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is handling?
Handling appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd 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 handling?
- /ˈhændl̩ɪŋ/
- /ˈhændlɪŋ/
Handling has 2 syllables, split hand·ling in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-handling.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handling
- handlings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A touching, controlling, managing, using, taking care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands.
baggage handling
- 2
obsoleteThe mechanism for handling or manipulating something.
- 3
The mode of using the pencil or brush; style of touch.
- 4
A criminal offence, the trade in stolen goods.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of handle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate handling?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of handling: hdlg.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | manipulation, maniement |
| German | Bedienung, Handhabung, Umgang, Handling , Hehlerei |
| Portuguese | manuseio, manejo |
| Spanish | manejo, handling , alcahuetería, receptación |
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 handling come from?
From Middle English handlinge, hondlunge, from Old English handlung (“handling”), equivalent to handle + -ing. Cognate with Dutch handeling (“trade, operation, action”), German Handlung (“act, action”), Swedish handling (“act, deed, action”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).