Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smarting

/ˈsmɑɹtɪŋ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.29 in modern English

Syllables
smart-ing
IPA
/ˈsmɑɹtɪŋ/
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Painful, sore.

adj

Experiencing emotional pain or embarrassment.

verb

present participle and gerund of smart

noun

A sensation that smarts or stings.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English smertyng, smertinge, from Old English smeortung, smertung (“smarting, itching”), equivalent to smart + -ing.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: smertyng, smeortung

Usage

Inflected Forms

more smarting (comparative) most smarting (superlative) smartings (plural)

Derived Forms

smartingly

Synonyms

aching smartful achesome achy raw hurt hurty griefful pained painfilled painful smarting

Rhymes With

starting departing parting charting farting restarting darting imparting carting harting marting

Questions

How do you pronounce smarting?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsmɑɹtɪŋ/.
What does smarting mean?
Painful, sore.
Where does smarting come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce smarting

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “smarting”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsmɑɹtɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “smarting”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “smarting” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.