touching
tou·ching/ˈtʌt͡ʃɪŋ/adjective, preposition, noun, verb
touching is spelled T-O-U-C-H-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables (tou·ching). It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, touching means “Provoking sadness and pity; that can cause sadness or heartbreak among witnesses to a sad event or situation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in touching?
| Letters | 8: T-O-U-C-H-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tou·ching |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,934th 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 touching?
Touching appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th 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 touching?
- /ˈtʌt͡ʃɪŋ/
Touching has 2 syllables, split tou·ching in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-touching.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of touching
- more touching comparative
- most touching superlative
- touchings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does touching mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Provoking sadness and pity; that can cause sadness or heartbreak among witnesses to a sad event or situation.
a touching story
- 2
In direct contact with.
preposition
- 1
Regarding; concerning.
noun
- 1
The act by which something is touched.
- 2
IndiaA snack served with alcoholic drinks in an informal environment.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of touch
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Touching in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense provoking sadness and pity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | touchant |
| German | rührend, anrührend, ergreifend |
| Portuguese | tocante |
| Spanish | enternecedor, conmovedor, emotivo |
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 touching come from?
From Middle English touchynge, equivalent to touch + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).