stinging
/ˈstɪŋɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
stinging is spelled S-T-I-N-G-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, stinging means “Having the capacity to sting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stinging?
| Letters | 8: S-T-I-N-G-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 stinging?
Stinging appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 stinging?
- /ˈstɪŋɪŋ/
Stinging 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)-Sapaa-stinging.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stinging
- more stinging comparative
- most stinging superlative
- stingings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stinging mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having the capacity to sting.
stinging nettles
- 2
Precise and hurtful.
a stinging indictment of the American prison system
noun
- 1
The act by which someone receives a sting.
the stingings of scorpions
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of sting
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does stinging come from?
From Middle English styngyng; equivalent to sting + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).