winning
/ˈwɪnɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
winning is spelled W-I-N-N-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 95 times per million words in written English, the 1,125th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, winning means “That constitutes a win” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in winning?
| Letters | 7: W-I-N-N-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 95 times per million words; the 1,125th 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 winning?
Winning appears 95 times per million words in written English, the 1,125th 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 winning?
- /ˈwɪnɪŋ/
Winning 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-winning.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of winning
- more winning comparative
- winninger comparative
- most winning superlative
- winningest superlative
- winnings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does winning mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That constitutes a win.
the winning entry in the competition
- 2
That leads to success.
a winning formula, strategy, etc.
- 3
Attractive.
a winning smile
noun
- 1
The act of obtaining something, as in a contest or by competition.
- 2
The money, etc., gained by success in competition or contest, especially in gambling.
- 3
A new opening.
- 4
The portion of a coalfield out for working.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of win
Our horse was winning the race, but fell back just before the finish line.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Winning in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense that constitutes a win:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | ganhador |
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.