Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

frightening

/ˈfɹaɪtənɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.67 in modern English

Syllables: fright-en-ing
IPA: /ˈfɹaɪtənɪŋ/

19

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Causing fear; or capable of causing fear; scary.

adj

Awful, terrible, very bad.

verb

present participle and gerund of frighten

Example Sentences

"Riding the rollercoaster was a frightening experience."
"The Owl is flying high, frightening to the eye. The Rattler is nearby, Cool is on the fly. Danger is his business."
"The scientist was frightening the timid children."

Etymology

From frighten + -ing.

Inflected Forms

more frightening (comparative) most frightening (superlative)

Derived Forms

frighteningly nonfrightening unfrightening

Frequently Paired Words

frighten fear disheartening afraid

Synonyms

affreux alarming spine-tingling appalling awful eldritch buggish butt-clenching buttock-clenching dismayful dreadful fearful

Antonyms

nonfrightening unfrightening

Rhymes With

tightening enlightening lightening brightening heightening lightning whitening

Questions

How do you pronounce frightening?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɹaɪtənɪŋ/.
What does frightening mean?: Causing fear; or capable of causing fear; scary.
Where does frightening come from?: From frighten + -ing.

How to pronounce frightening

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