insulting
/ɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
insulting is spelled I-N-S-U-L-T-I-N-G: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, insulting means “Containing insult, or having the intention of insulting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in insulting?
| Letters | 9: I-N-S-U-L-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th 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 insulting?
Insulting appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th 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 insulting?
- /ɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/
Insulting 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: En-us-insulting.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of insulting
- more insulting comparative
- most insulting superlative
- insultings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insulting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Containing insult, or having the intention of insulting.
He received an insulting letter.
noun
- 1
The act of giving insult.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of insult
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insulting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense containing insult, or having the intention of insulting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | outrageant, injurieux, insultant |
| German | beleidigend |
| Portuguese | insultante, injurioso, injuriante |
| Spanish | afrentoso, insultante |
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.