standing
/ˈstændɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
standing is spelled S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 72 times per million words in written English, the 1,457th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, standing means “Erect, not cut down” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in standing?
| Letters | 8: S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 72 times per million words; the 1,457th 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 standing?
Standing appears 72 times per million words in written English, the 1,457th 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 standing?
- /ˈstændɪŋ/
Standing 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: En-us-standing.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of standing
- standings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does standing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Erect, not cut down.
- 2
Performed from an erect position.
standing ovation
- 3
Remaining in force or status; ongoing.
standing committee
- 4
Stagnant; not moving or flowing.
standing water
- 5
Not transitory; not liable to fade or vanish; lasting.
a standing colour
- 6
Not movable; fixed.
a standing bed, distinguished from a trundle-bed
noun
- 1
Position or reputation in society or a profession.
He does not have much of a standing as a chemist.
- 2
Duration.
a member of long standing
- 3
The act of a person who stands, or a place where someone stands.
- 4
The position of a team in a league or of a player in a list.
After their last win, their standing went up three places.
- 5
UKRoom in which to park a vehicle or vehicles
- 6
The right of a party to bring a legal action, based on the relationship between that party and the matter to which the action relates.
to have standing
- 7
UKobsoleteslangThe location on a street where a market trader habitually operates.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of stand
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Standing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | vertikal , ständig , aufgestaut , Stellung, Ansehen, Reputation |
| Spanish | parado, de plantón, en plantón , standing |
| French | statut |
| Portuguese | reputação |
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 standing come from?
From Middle English standynge, stondynge, standende, stondinde, standande, stondande, from Old English standende, stondende, from Proto-Germanic *standandz (“standing”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *standaną (“to stand”), equivalent to stand + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).