keening
adjective, noun, verb
keening is spelled K-E-E-N-I-N-G: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, keening means “Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in keening?
| Letters | 7: K-E-E-N-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is keening?
Keening appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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).
What rhymes with keening?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as keening.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: kneeing.
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 keening
- keenings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does keening mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound.
The keening sound of a dentist's drill sets my teeth on edge.
noun
- 1
Intense mournful wailing after a death, often at a funeral or wake.
- 2
An unpleasant wailing sound.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of keen
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Keening in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perçant , lamentation |
| German | Totenklage, Beklagen des/der Toten |
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 keening come from?
From keen + -ing, from Irish caoin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).