walking
walk·ing/ˈwɔ.kɪŋ/adjective, verb, noun
walking is spelled W-A-L-K-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (walk·ing). It appears 72 times per million words in written English, the 1,457th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, walking means “Incarnate as a human; living” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in walking?
| Letters | 7: W-A-L-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: walk·ing |
| In writing | 72 times per million words; the 1,457th 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 walking?
Walking appears 72 times per million words in written English, the 1,457th 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 walking?
- UK /ˈwɔː.kɪŋ/
- /ˈwaːk.ɪn/
- US /ˈwɔ.kɪŋ/
Walking has 2 syllables, split walk·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-walking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with walking?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as walking from its last stressed vowel (/ɔkɪŋ/):
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 walking
- walkings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does walking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Incarnate as a human; living.
Elizabeth knows so many words that they call her the walking dictionary.
- 2
Able to walk in spite of injury or sickness.
- 3
Characterized by or suitable for walking.
a walking tour
- 4
Heavily characterized by some given quality.
- 5
Being a style of bass accompaniment or line, common in Baroque music (1600–1750) and 20th century jazz, blues and rockabilly, which creates a feeling of regular quarter note movement, akin to the regular alternation of feet while walking.
a walking bass, or walking bassline
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of walk
noun
- 1
verbal noun of walk.
After five hours' walking in the heat, I was close to exhaustion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Walking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | humano, ambulante |
| Spanish | andante , a pie, para caminar, para andar , viviente , andar |
| German | wandelnd , Wandern, Spazierengehen, Gehen, Laufen, Gang |
| French | marche, randonnée, marche à pied |
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 walking come from?
From Middle English walkynge, walkinge, walkinde, walkende, walkand, walkande, from Old English wealcende (attested as Old English wealcendes), from Proto-Germanic *walkandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *walkaną (“to roll, trample, walk”), equivalent to walk + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).