Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whistling

/ˈwɪs(ə)lɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.21 in modern English

Syllables: whist-ling
IPA: /ˈwɪs(ə)lɪŋ/

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

present participle and gerund of whistle

noun

A shrill, breathy sound; a whistle.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English whistlynge, equivalent to whistle + -ing.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: whistlynge, whistlinge, hwistlung
Suffix: whistle

Inflected Forms

whistlings (plural)

Phrases

dog-whistling

Synonyms

whistle

Rhymes With

kissling

Questions

How do you pronounce whistling?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪs(ə)lɪŋ/.
What does whistling mean?: present participle and gerund of whistle
Where does whistling come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce whistling

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