How to pronounce “following”
Following is pronounced /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — fɑː. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 3 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting fɑː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “following”
✗ Often said: /ˈfɑːlaʊɪŋ/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/
Why the two come apart: at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “following” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“following” sound by sound
“following” is built out of 6 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
-
fRest the upper teeth lightly on the lower lip and push air through the gap without voicing.
-
ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
-
lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
-
oʊStart with mid-back, lightly rounded lips and glide toward /ʊ/, tightening the rounding as you finish.
-
ɪRelax the tongue slightly lower and further back than for /iː/, keep the lips neutral, and make it short and lax.
-
ŋRaise the back of the tongue against the soft palate as if for /ɡ/, but let the voiced air escape through the nose instead of releasing it.
Questions people ask about “following”
- How do you pronounce “following”?
- “following” is pronounced /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/, with the stress on the first syllable (fɑː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “following”?
- “following” has 3 syllables: fɑː · loʊ · ɪŋ. The stress pattern is Ooo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “following”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈfɑːlaʊɪŋ/, but it is actually /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/, because at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
Stop looking words up one at a time
You just looked up one word. PHONO puts the IPA above every word of whatever you are reading — in your browser, in a PDF, in any app — the moment you select it. An offline pronunciation dictionary, US and UK audio, one hotkey.