telling
/ˈtɛlɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
telling is spelled T-E-L-L-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 83 times per million words in written English, the 1,272nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, telling means “Having force, or having a marked effect; weighty, effective” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in telling?
| Letters | 7: T-E-L-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 83 times per million words; the 1,272nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is telling?
Telling appears 83 times per million words in written English, the 1,272nd 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 telling?
- /ˈtɛlɪŋ/
Telling 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-telling.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with telling?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as telling.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: gillnet.
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 telling
- more telling comparative
- most telling superlative
- tellings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does telling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having force, or having a marked effect; weighty, effective.
a telling blow
- 2
Revealing information; bearing significance.
a telling smile
- 3
Serving to convince.
telling evidence
noun
- 1
The act of narration.
- 2
The disclosure of information.
- 3
archaicCounting, numbering.
- 4
Ability to determine.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of tell
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Telling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense revealing information; bearing significance:
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 telling come from?
Gerund from the verb tell, from tell + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).