HOW TO PRONOUNCE
ceiling
/ˈsilɪŋ/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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The opening sounds like “see.”
Finish with the ng sound of sing, without releasing a separate hard g after the final nasal.
2 syllables · Stress on syllable 1
TRY SAYING
“Sunlight reflected off the ceiling.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does ceiling mean?
noun
- The overhead closure of a room.
- The upper limit of an object or action.
- The highest altitude at which an aircraft can safely maintain flight.
More meanings (6)
noun
- The measurement of visible distance from ground or sea level to an overcast cloud cover; under a clear sky, the ceiling measurement is identified as "unlimited."
- The smallest integer greater than or equal to a given number.
- The inner planking of a vessel.
- The maximum permitted level in a financial transaction.
- The overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room.
verb
- present participle and gerund of ceil
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈsilɪŋ/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
The whole of this sordid abode was dimly lighted by an evil-smelling oil-lamp, which hung from the rickety rafters of the ceiling.
The floor, ceiling and walls were of carborundum aluminum, a light, impenetrable composition extensively utilized in the construction of Martian fighting ships.
More book examples (3)
Never have the fingers of night which contract beneath this stifling ceiling, turned the leaves of a book nor unfolded a newspaper.
Several times that day the Nautilus tried again, and every time it struck the wall which lay like a ceiling above it.
The dentist was lying on the bed-lounge in his stocking feet, doing nothing apparently, gazing up at the ceiling, lost in thought.