Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lacking

/ˈlækɪŋ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English

Syllables: lack-ing
IPA: /ˈlækɪŋ/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

present participle and gerund of lack

noun

The absence of something that is desirable or otherwise ought to be present.

adj

Missing or not having enough of (a good quality, etc).

Example Sentences

"Cagliostro, however, whatever his moral lackings, did not lack spirit; he was not the man to succumb to this kind of coercion."
"This cheese is lacking in pungency."
"The team was lacking in stamina and lost the match decidedly."
"A few of the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle are lacking."

Inflected Forms

lackings (plural) more lacking (comparative) most lacking (superlative)

Derived Forms

lackingness

Phrases

catch lacking

Frequently Paired Words

lose loss rare

Synonyms

lack absent awanting bereft of deficient of deprived of destitute of devoid of lacking leer poor in robbed of

Antonyms

present

Rhymes With

attacking tracking backing packing cracking hacking stacking racking nerve-racking sacking smacking jacking

Questions

How do you pronounce lacking?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlækɪŋ/.
What does lacking mean?: present participle and gerund of lack

How to pronounce lacking

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