worrying
/ˈwʌɹi.ɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
worrying is spelled W-O-R-R-Y-I-N-G: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, worrying means “Inducing worry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in worrying?
| Letters | 8: W-O-R-R-Y-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,878th 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 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 worrying?
Worrying appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,878th 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 worrying?
- UK /ˈwʌɹi.ɪŋ/
- /ˈwʌɹi.ɪŋ/
- /ˈwɝ.i.ɪŋ/
Worrying has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-worrying.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with worrying?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as worrying from its last stressed vowel (/ʌɹiɪŋ/, British pronunciation):
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 worrying
- more worrying comparative
- most worrying superlative
- worryings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worrying mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Inducing worry.
noun
- 1
The act of worrying or harassing somebody.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of worry
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worrying in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense inducing worry:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inquiétant, préoccupant |
| German | beunruhigend |
| Portuguese | preocupante |
| Spanish | preocupante, inquietante |
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 worrying come from?
From worry + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).