rumbling
adjective, noun, verb
rumbling is spelled R-U-M-B-L-I-N-G: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rumbling means “Deep- and slow-sounding” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rumbling?
| Letters | 8: R-U-M-B-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th 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 rumbling?
Rumbling appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th 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 rumbling?
- US
Rumbling 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-rumbling.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rumbling
- more rumbling comparative
- most rumbling superlative
- rumblings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rumbling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Deep- and slow-sounding.
rumbling discontent
noun
- 1
A muted sound of complaint or discontent (often used in the plural).
The rumblings of the masses precede the crumbling of the state.
- 2
A deep low noise.
The rumbling of distant thunder echoed from the hilltop.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of rumble
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rumbling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grondant , grondement |
| Spanish | retumbante, rimbombante , retumbo, rimbombe, rimbombo |
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.