# Do "thing" and "sing" rhyme to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718 "2012-02-13T16:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/41 "2012-02-13T18:29:26Z")
Louisiana native and Texas resident here. “Sing” and “thing” always rhyme in my accent. “Get” and “wet” normally don’t, quite, but are close enough that in a rhyming scenario, I would shift the vowel in “get” to the rhyming version without thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/42 "2012-02-13T18:31:17Z")
I never thought about it. I guess I say it like “thang”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/43 "2012-02-13T19:04:38Z")
They rhyme, not only to me, but according to the dictionary. I’m from Alaska originally, now living in the PNW. People up there only say ‘git’ and ‘sang’ when they’re trying to sound like Sarah Palin. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/44 "2012-02-13T19:05:37Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > “Thing” is more like “thang” - in fact, this is one of those words that took me forever to learn to spell, because I could never remember which vowel went in there. “Sing” has I guess a long e vowel sound. I can’t even try to make them rhyme without it sounding weird. Is “thing” the only word ending in “-ing” that you pronounce that way? For example, do the words “spring” or “sling” rhyme with “sing”? How about “something”? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/45 "2012-02-13T19:07:56Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Both pairs of words rhyme for me. I’m from Southern Ontario. I’m surprised to hear that they _don’t_ rhyme for you. I’d like to hear how you say them. Southern Ontario here as well, and I am equally surprised that these pairs don’t rhyme for any English speaker. I’m not surprised someone would say them differently than I would, but I’m shocked they don’t rhyme for someone. And if someone pronounces “sing” as “Sang,” how would they pronounce “sang”? ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/46 "2012-02-13T19:31:17Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Is “thing” the only word ending in “-ing” that you pronounce that way? For example, do the words “spring” or “sling” rhyme with “sing”? How about “something”? Yeah - I don’t know of any other -ing words that would rhyme with “thing” when I say them. “Thing” doesn’t even rhyme with “something.” I just asked my dad if he thinks “thing” and “sing” rhyme. He replied, “In written stuff. But thing rhymes better with sang, when spoken.” Perhaps I just picked up his idiosyncrasy. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/47 "2012-02-13T19:38:19Z")
Southern California. “Get” and “wet” definitely don’t rhyme. I don’t think of it as “git.” It must be somewhere in between, because “get fit” doesn’t rhyme either. “Thing” and “sing,” on the other hand, do, and have for every English dialect I’ve ever come across. I’m very interested to find out if \*\*PSXer \*\*has the same pronunciation as you: thing / seeng, correct? ETA: Trying to say something naturally while paying attention to my tongue is hard, but saying “Get set, get fit,” the tongue really is about halfway in between for the two vowels. Interesting. I wonder if there’s other words that do rhyme with _get_? ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/48 "2012-02-13T19:45:24Z")
Army brat. Childhood spent all over the U.S. and in Germany, but have lived in Texas for the past 25 years. Both sets rhyme in my hodgepodge accent. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/49 "2012-02-13T19:46:45Z")
I’m a Maryland native. I can see how “get” and “wet” occasionally don’t rhyme. Sometimes I say “git” depending on how fast I’m talking and the words surrounding it. Thing and sing always rhyme, though. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/50 "2012-02-13T19:48:15Z")
New York, Long Island. Both sets of words rhyme perfectly. Even with a New York accent. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/51 "2012-02-13T19:51:16Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > Both sets of words rhyme perfectly. Even with a New York accent. So “thing” rhymes with “bada-bing” for you? ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/52 "2012-02-13T20:31:26Z")
Both pairs rhyme. I’m an east Tennessee boy. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/53 "2012-02-13T20:34:18Z")
Both pairs rhyme for me, and I grew up in Chicago. Here in southern Illinois, though, I don’t think they rhyme for the natives. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/54 "2012-02-13T20:43:03Z")
With get and wet, sometimes they rhyme, sometimes they don’t. Wet always rhymes with pet, but get sometimes rhymes with pet and sometimes rhymes with pit; it depends on the context. I’ve never heard a dialect where thing and sing don’t rhyme. I can see “thang” for thing, but I’ve always heard the same treatment for the whole vowel sound, so it would still rhyme with sing. I’m having a hard time seeing sing and seen have the same sound. I’ve never heard anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/55 "2012-02-13T21:10:47Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > ETA: Trying to say something naturally while paying attention to my tongue is hard, but saying “Get set, get fit,” the tongue really is about halfway in between for the two vowels. Interesting. I wonder if there’s other words that do rhyme with _get_? Strangely when I tried saying “Get set, get fit” both pairs of words rhymed but with different sounds. My brain forced each pair into a rhyme with me saying get the first time and git the second. I lived in so many places I have no idea where I picked up either pronunciation. Chicago, Gary, Peoria, Buffalo, New Jersey, Florida, Raleigh, and a couple others. When I saw the OP I thought that they rhymed in my accent, but now that I’ve read a few sentences I’ve discovered I often say git. ---
**Author:** ![Homo\_litoralis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homo\_litoralis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homo_litoralis)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/56 "2012-02-13T21:13:30Z")
I’m starting to doubt my own ears here. I say _theng_. I hear most folks say _theng_. I bet even some of you who’ve posted here to the contrary say _theng_. _Theng_ does not rhyme with _sing_. _Sing_ rhymes with _ring_. Now that I think about it, _think_ and _thing_ have the same vowel sound, which is essentially a short _e_ as in _egg_. _Sing_ and _ring_ have a long _e_ sound, like _eat_. But oddly, to my ear, _something_ rhymes with _sing_. Therefore, _thing_ does not even rhyme with _something_. But then again, _nothing_ rhymes with _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/57 "2012-02-13T21:21:33Z")
Both pairs rhyme for me - from upstate New York originally. Thing doesn’t rhyme with something for me, though, as, like with many words, I clip the -g off of the end of something. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/58 "2012-02-13T21:24:59Z")
Also raised on Long Island, now in Manhattan. 'Round here, words ending in “-ing” are pronounced the same in just about every word I can think of (except for, I dunno, something like “sproing!” as in the sound of a pogo stick). Same thing with “-et” unless the word’s a borrowed French word and we keep the pronunciation (like _filet_ or, well, _et_). Mary = rhymes with “airy” or “dairy” Merry = rhymes with “ferry” or “very” Marry = rhymes with “carry” or “Larry” I’m surprised that “thing” wouldn’t rhyme with “sing” in any dialect. It seems that if you’re pronouncing it “thang” as in Southern dialect or perhaps AAVE (e.g. “ain’t no big thang”), you’d also pronounce “sing” as “sang” (as in “that girl can _sang_!”) Actually, I suspect the word “bring” would be pronounced slightly differently, no? For the OP, which word (if either) would “bring” rhyme with? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/59 "2012-02-13T21:28:43Z")
> [@Homo\_litoralis](#): > > _Sing_ and _ring_ have a long _e_ sound, like _eat_. Not for me. It’s a “short i” sound followed by a nasal consonant. Saying “seeng” with a conscious “long e” sound produces a distinctly different pronunciation than “sing” with the short i. The IPA for how I pronounce “sing” is /sɪŋ/, which is the pronunciation given in the dictionary. Perhaps the nasalized “ng” sound makes the “i” sound a little closer to “ee” or gives the perception of an “ee” sound, but it’s definitely not an “ee.” Also, “thing” and “theng” are quite distinguishable in my dialect, and I say it with the same vowel as in “sing” and “ring.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/60 "2012-02-13T21:30:41Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Mary = rhymes with “airy” or “dairy” > Merry = rhymes with “ferry” or “very” > Marry = rhymes with “carry” or “Larry” Yeah, for me, in my dialect, all those words rhyme. “Airy” rhymes with “ferry” rhymes with “carry.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718.md?page=4)