Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kidnapping

/ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English

Syllables: kid-nap-ping
IPA: /ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/

20

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

present participle and gerund of kidnap

noun

The crime of taking a person against their will, sometimes for ransom.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The Kiryat Malachi native, who had been working as a bartender in Tel Aviv before his kidnapping, was last seen trying to hide next to a car as a terrorist fired a rocket-propelled grenade at him and a friend."

Usage

Inflected Forms

kidnaping (alternative, US) kidnappings (plural)

Derived Forms

antikidnapping bridenapping carnapping catnapping dognapping slavenapping

Phrases

express kidnapping gnome-napping tiger kidnapping

Frequently Paired Words

abduction

Synonyms

snatch

Rhymes With

kidnaping

Questions

How do you pronounce kidnapping?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/.
What does kidnapping mean?: present participle and gerund of kidnap

How to pronounce kidnapping

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