speaking
/ˈspi.kɪŋ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.91 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Used in speaking.
adj
adj
Involving speaking.
Example Sentences
- "one's normal speaking voice"
- "The sight was more speaking than any speech could be."
- "There was no reply, save on the speaking countenance."
- "Then we read Spear's confrontational commentary on the "Richard Pryor Incident" from the Black perspective...and suddenly we began to feel that GCN's window on the Gay World was something we couldn't live without since no other Gay Media voice seemed so speaking."
- "It was her first speaking part: she screamed."
- "speaking parrot; speaking clock"
Etymology
From Middle English spekinge, spekynge, spekinde, spekende, spekande, spekand, from Old English specende, sprecende (“speaking”), from Proto-Germanic *sprekandz (“speaking”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *sprekaną (“to speak”). Equivalent to speak + -ing. Cognate with Scots speikand, speikin (“speaking”), Saterland Frisian spreekend (“speaking”), West Frisian sprekkend (“speaking”), Dutch sprekend (“speaking”), German Low German sprekend (“speaking”), German sprechend (“speaking”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: spekinge, specende, *sprekandz, *sprekaną, speking
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈspi.kɪŋ/
- British English: /ˈspiː.kɪŋ/