stalking
/ˈstɔːkɪŋ/noun, verb
stalking is spelled S-T-A-L-K-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stalking means “The act of going stealthily” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stalking is stalkings.
How many letters and syllables are in stalking?
| Letters | 8: S-T-A-L-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.4 times per million words; the 12,216th 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 stalking?
Stalking appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th 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 stalking?
- /ˈstɔːkɪŋ/
Stalking 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-stalking.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stalking
- stalkings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stalking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of going stealthily.
A tiny cub is learning the art of stalking a little too well it seems. A video posted on social media shows the cub surprising its mamma and giving her a huge fright. The short clip makes for a delightful watch.
- 2
Hunting for game by moving silently and stealthily or by waiting in ambush.
- 3
The crime of following or harassing another person, causing that person to fear death or injury.
- 4
The removal of stalks from bunches of grapes prior to winemaking.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of stalk
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stalking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Stalking, Nachstellung |
| French | égrappage, éraflage |
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 stalking come from?
From Middle English stalkynge, stalkyng, from Old English stealcung, from Proto-West Germanic *stalkungu, equivalent to stalk + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).