ruling
/ˈɹuːlɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
ruling is spelled R-U-L-I-N-G: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ruling means “That rules; predominant; chief; reigning; controlling” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ruling?
| Letters | 6: R-U-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,365th 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 ruling?
Ruling appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th 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 ruling?
- UK /ˈɹuːlɪŋ/
- British /ˈɹʉwlɪŋ/
- /ˈɹuːlɪŋɡ/
Ruling has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-ruling.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ruling?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ruling from its last stressed vowel (/ulɪŋ/, British pronunciation):
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 ruling
- rulings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ruling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That rules; predominant; chief; reigning; controlling.
the ruling monarch
noun
- 1
An order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of rule
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ruling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | au pouvoir, régnant , décision, arrêt |
| German | herrschend, regierend , Beschluss, Entscheid |
| Spanish | gobernante, regente , dictamen, laudo |
| Portuguese | decisão |
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 ruling come from?
By surface analysis, rule + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).