turning
turn·ing/ˈtɝ.nɪŋ/noun, verb
turning is spelled T-U-R-N-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (turn·ing). It appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, turning means “A turn or deviation from a straight course” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of turning is turnings.
How many letters and syllables are in turning?
| Letters | 7: T-U-R-N-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: turn·ing |
| In writing | 51 times per million words; the 1,993rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is turning?
Turning appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd 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 turning?
- UK /ˈtɜː.nɪŋ/
- US /ˈtɝ.nɪŋ/
- /ˈtɔːn.ɪn/
Turning has 2 syllables, split turn·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-turning.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with turning?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as turning from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnɪŋ/):
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 turning
- turnings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does turning mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
IrelandUKA turn or deviation from a straight course.
Take the second turning on the left.
- 2
At hockey, a foul committed by a player attempting to hit the ball who interposes their body between the ball and an opposing player trying to do the same.
- 3
The cutting of wood or metal on a lathe to shape it as needed.
- 4
The act of one who turns (rotates or twists).
- 5
One of the four eras, each lasting for about 21 years, that make up a saeculum according to the Strauss-Howe generational theory.
Howe and Strauss predicted that in the Fourth Turning, Millennials would unite behind their president.
- 6
Shavings produced by turning something on a lathe.
The turnings get into your trouser turnups!
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of turn
The Earth is turning about its axis as we speak.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate turning?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of turning: trng..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Turning in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A turn or deviation from a straight course:
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 turning come from?
From Middle English turnyng, turnynge, from Old English tyrning, turnung, equivalent to turn + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).