shrinking
shrink·ing/ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
shrinking is spelled S-H-R-I-N-K-I-N-G: 9 letters and 2 syllables (shrink·ing). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, shrinking means “Shy and retiring” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in shrinking?
| Letters | 9: S-H-R-I-N-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: shrink·ing |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th 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; 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 shrinking?
Shrinking appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 shrinking?
- US /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ/
Shrinking has 2 syllables, split shrink·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shrinking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with shrinking?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as shrinking from its last stressed vowel (/ɪŋkɪŋ/):
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 shrinking
- more shrinking comparative
- most shrinking superlative
- shrinkings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shrinking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Shy and retiring.
noun
- 1
The act of one who, or that which, shrinks; act of becoming smaller or moving timidly away.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of shrink
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does shrinking come from?
From shrink + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).