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hanging

hang·ingUK /ˈhæŋɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb

hanging is spelled H-A-N-G-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (hang·ing). It appears 32 times per million words in written English, the 2,992nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, hanging means “Suspended” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in hanging?

Letters7: H-A-N-G-I-N-G
Syllables2: hang·ing
In writing32 times per million words; the 2,992nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 hanging?

Hanging appears 32 times per million words in written English, the 2,992nd 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 hanging?

  • UK /ˈhæŋɪŋ/
  • British /ˈhaŋɪŋ/
  • /ˈhaŋɪŋ/

Hanging has 2 syllables, split hang·ing in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hanging.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of hanging

  • hangings plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does hanging mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Suspended.

    The hanging vines made the house look older than it was.

  2. 2

    Unprotected and exposed to capture.

  3. 3

    slangHittable; poorly executed by the pitcher, hence relatively easy to hit.

    hanging breaking ball

  4. 4

    UKslangUgly; very unattractive; disgusting.

    MUGSEY: Yeah. You fancy ‘im don’ you. LEANNE: No I don’t. Shut yer mouth. MUGSEY: Your mum said he’s gonna end up just like his dad. LEANNE: She don’ even know Bingo. Anyway, I don’t fancy ‘im, ‘e’s hanging.

  5. 5

    Extending beyond the margins of a page.

    hanging punctuation

noun

  1. 1

    The act of hanging a person (or oneself) by the neck in order to kill that person (or to commit suicide).

    Hanging is the punishment for one convicted of war crimes, there.

  2. 2

    Anything that is hung as a decorative element (such as curtains, gobelins, or posters).

    The various hangings on that Christmas tree look nice.

  3. 3

    The way in which hangings (decorations) are arranged.

    I dislike the cramped hanging in the gallery of 18th century painters.

verb

  1. 1

    present participle and gerund of hang (a form of hang)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Hanging in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchsuspendu, suspendue (suspended), pendaison (means of execution), tenture (anything wide, high and thin that is hung)
Germanhängend (suspended), Erhängung (means of execution), Behang (anything wide, high and thin that is hung), Hängung (way in which hangings (decorations) are arranged)
Portuguesesuspenso (suspended), forca, enforcamento (means of execution)
Spanishcolgante, colgandero, pensil, pénsil (suspended), ahorcamiento (means of execution)

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 hanging come from?

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after hanging