sting
/ˈstɪŋ/noun, verb
sting is spelled S-T-I-N-G: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sting means “A bump left on the skin after having been stung” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sting is stings.
How many letters and syllables are in sting?
| Letters | 5: S-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 6.3 times per million words; the 9,594th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is sting?
Sting appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th 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 sting?
- /ˈstɪŋ/
- /ˈstɪŋɡ/
Sting has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sting.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sting
- stings plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- stinging participle, present
- stung past, participle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!
- 2
A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.
She died from a bee sting.
- 3
A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
- 4
A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis.
That plant will give a little sting if you touch it.
- 5
A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
- 6
The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
- 7
A police operation in which the police pretend to engage in criminal activity in order to catch a criminal.
The criminal gang was caught after a successful sting.
- 8
A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
verb
- 1
To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.
- 2
To puncture with the stinger.
A mosquito stung me on the arm.
- 3
To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally).
My eyes are stinging from the chopped onions.
- 4
To cause harm or pain to.
I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!
noun
- 1
Storytelling in the context of a tabletop role-playing game, especially one published by White Wolf.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of ST
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | piqûre , piquer |
| German | Stich , Biss, Insektenstich, Insektenbiss, Bienenstich , stechen |
| Spanish | picadura , picar, pinchar , punzada , trampa, operación encubierta |
| Portuguese | ferroar, picar, morder , ferroada, picada |
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 sting come from?
From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from Proto-Germanic *stungiz.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).