# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/141 "2012-02-16T14:04:21Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > I’m curious if other people also find this to be the case. So far, some previous posters who commented on my pronunciation have not noticed what you are claiming. I hear the same thing as **RickJay**. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/142 "2012-02-16T14:09:14Z")
> [@Saganist](#): > > You clearly did say theeng (long I) in your recording. However, I also agree with **Homo litoralis** that people are actually saying theng (short E) most of the time. [Here](http://soundkey.com/fo63cp) is me saying both versions with some small context, one naturally and one artificially. See which one sounds more normal. I also include “something” and “anything” said naturally to show the vowel can change in my accent. Your first “thing,” “something,” and “anything” sound about like I think I would say them, although by now, I probably pronounce any word with an “-ing” as “throatwarbler mangrove.” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/143 "2012-02-16T14:32:38Z")
Of course where I live people are notorious for pronouncing it “ting”. ---
**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 16, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/144 "2012-02-16T15:12:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s not a persnal thing, it’s a dialect thing. You often cannot hear very subtle differences in pronounciation unless they’re differences that your brain is trained to perceive. > > Try learning a different language. You’ll find out REALLY quickly how many pronounciation differences you have trouble perceiving. A lot of folks agree with you. I guess I have a sensitive ear. Even if I have trouble pronouncing a foreign word, I can still _ **hear** _ the difference in the way I’m saying it and the correct way. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/145 "2012-02-16T15:51:51Z")
Bet De(b)t Get Jet Let Met Net Pet Set Vet Wet All rime the way I have ever heard anyone pronounce them. I have no idea what an alternate pronunciation might sound like for either “wet” or “get”. Bing Bring Cling Ding Fling King Ping Ring Sing Sling Sting Swing Wing Rime likewise. However, and maybe this is a personal idiosyncracy, I often pronounce “thing” as “theyng” (soft th-). For some reason I have no idea how most others pronounce it, although I can easily see that it might in conformance with the list above. ---
**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 16, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/146 "2012-02-16T16:17:33Z")
I don’t have the clearest speaking voice in the world (very nasal), but I recorded myself saying [“thang, theng, thing, and theeng”](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/thang.mp3) in that order. The third pronunciation is the one I use. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/147 "2012-02-16T16:23:39Z")
The vowels sound right to me. I am intrigued, though, with the addition of the [g] at the end of each. That’s unusual in my experience. In other words, you said [θæŋg], [θɛŋg], [θɪŋg], [θiŋg]; whereas the more common pronunciations would be [θæŋ], [θɛŋ], [θɪŋ], [θiŋ]. ---
**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 16, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/148 "2012-02-16T16:33:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The vowels sound right to me. I am intrigued, though, with the addition of the [g] at the end of each. That’s unusual in my experience. > > In other words, you said [θæŋg], [θɛŋg], [θɪŋg], [θiŋg]; whereas the more common pronunciations would be [θæŋ], [θɛŋ], [θɪŋ], [θiŋ]. You’re correct. Apparently, I am over-enunciating for the audio sample. I don’t seem to add the “g” in spontaneous speech, so far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/149 "2012-02-16T16:42:49Z")
If I’m reading something where they’re supposed to rhyme, get and wet rhyme for me, as do thing and sing. If I’m just using them in a sentence, sometimes I say “theng” instead of thing-rhymes-with-sing, and sometimes I say “git” or the halfway version instead of get-rhymes-with-set. I never say “thang” though. Southern-midwestern type USA regional. The oddest part of my dialect is a tendency to say “your alls” for the 2nd person plural possessive. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/150 "2012-02-16T16:52:21Z")
> [@Deegeea](#): > > If I’m just using them in a sentence, sometimes I say “theng” instead of thing-rhymes-with-sing, and sometimes I say “git” or the halfway version instead of get-rhymes-with-set. I never say “thang” though. Wow. Another ‘theng’ person. I have never heard anyone pronounce ‘thing’ as ‘theng’. I’m now wondering how common this is. ---
**Author:** ![Saganist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Saganist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saganist)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/151 "2012-02-16T17:51:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t have the clearest speaking voice in the world (very nasal), but I recorded myself saying [“thang, theng, thing, and theeng”](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/thang.mp3) in that order. The third pronunciation is the one I use. Would you mind also recording a use of “thing” spoken naturally in context? Does the vowel you use change when you say “something” and “anything”? And would you agree that “sing” and “ring” use the same vowel as the fourth form, not the third? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/152 "2012-02-16T17:56:38Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Wow. Another ‘theng’ person. I have never heard anyone pronounce ‘thing’ as ‘theng’. I’m now wondering how common this is. I was wondering about this myself and I’m wondering if it isn’t just that I can’t hear it. In my accent, “thing” rhymes with “sing;” it has a sharp I sound; it’s not a schwa, and it’s not a long E sound either. (I don’t understand how **Homo literalis** thinks “thing” sounds like “theeng,” as those are really different sounds. But maybe his accent doesn’t distinguish between them.) So I’ve been puzzled by “theng” because I thought I’d never heard anyone say that but it occurs to me that for a Canadian, it’s probably that \*\*I cannot tell the difference \*\*between “theng,” whatever that is, and “thang.” My brain will more or less register only two ways of saying that word; one, the way I do it, which has the ringing I sound; the other, the stereotypical Southern “thang.” If someone says “Theng” I probably hear “thang,” much the same way Polerius can’t hear the difference in the way he says “wet” and “get” even though to me and BetsQ he’s making totally different sounds. Our ability to hear vowel dfferences is heavily affected by what we’re accustomed to, so this “theng” thing just isn’t something my brain is equipped to hear; to me it’s either “thing” or “thang.” If I moved to the U.S. Midwest for a few years I’d probably learn to distinguish them. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/153 "2012-02-16T18:09:40Z")
What are talking aboot? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/154 "2012-02-16T18:24:37Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Wow. Another ‘theng’ person. I have never heard anyone pronounce ‘thing’ as ‘theng’. I’m now wondering how common this is. My daughter pronounces “milk” as “melk”. It may be a Pennsylvania thing. ---
**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 16, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/155 "2012-02-16T18:32:36Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > My daughter pronounces “milk” as “melk”. It may be a Pennsylvania thing. “melk” and “vanella” are fairly widespread. I do those (Southern California). ---
**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 16, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/156 "2012-02-16T20:34:43Z")
> [@Saganist](#): > > Would you mind also recording a use of “thing” spoken naturally in context? Does the vowel you use change when you say “something” and “anything”? > > And would you agree that “sing” and “ring” use the same vowel as the fourth form, not the third? I’ll try to get to it later but, no, “sing” and “ring” do not have an “ee” sound in my dialect. “Seeng” and “reeng” sound weird to my ears, just like “theeng” does. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/157 "2012-02-16T20:57:05Z")
The only time I hear “theeng” is when I’m watching _Modern Family_ (Sofía Vergara). ---
**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 16, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/158 "2012-02-16T21:01:22Z")
Actually, [here’s me saying](http://www.pawinskiphotography.com/public/rang.mp3) “I rang the bell; I reng the bell; I ring the bell; I reeng the bell” at what is my normal speaking pace. It seems to me that at times my /ɪ/ might shade a little towards /i/, but it definitely does not feel as “closed” in my throat as a pure /i/. ---
**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 16, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/159 "2012-02-16T21:24:25Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I was wondering about this myself and I’m wondering if it isn’t just that I can’t hear it. > > In my accent, “thing” rhymes with “sing;” it has a sharp I sound; it’s not a schwa, and it’s not a long E sound either. (I don’t understand how **Homo literalis** thinks “thing” sounds like “theeng,” as those are really different sounds. But maybe his accent doesn’t distinguish between them.) > > So I’ve been puzzled by “theng”… That’s because we’re starting to muddle our thengs along with the meaning of “long _e_”. To be clear, I had been saying all along that _thing_ most definitely does _not_ sound like _theeng_ because _theeng_ rhymes with _sing_ and _thing_ sounds like _theng_. I say _sing_ with a long _e_ (_seeng_), but I don’t sound like Sofia Vergara because she needs three consecutive _e_’s to say _sing_, four if she says it with passion. “Long” vowels say their own name. _We three kings sing, eating green peas_ has only one vowel sound to my ear: long _e_. **pulykamell** , your _ring_ and _reeng_ both remind me of subtle accents that I hear from time to time, and I can say with absolute certainty that whenever I say _ring_, I fall somewhere between the two. After such a fascinating discussion, I’m glad to see fellow Thengers finally show! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718/160 "2012-02-16T22:29:51Z")
> [@Homo\_litoralis](#): > > That’s because we’re starting to muddle our thengs along with the meaning of “long _e_”. > > To be clear, I had been saying all along that _thing_ most definitely does _not_ sound like _theeng_ because _theeng_ rhymes with _sing_ Well, no, not to me. I’ve never heard sing pronounced “seeng.” Sing rhymes with thing. Neither rhymes with “theeng.” Not the way we speak around here, anyway. > [@](#): > > “Long” vowels say their own name. _We three kings sing, eating green peas_ has only one vowel sound to my ear: long _e_. Where do you live? I don’t know of a native English accent where those vowel sounds are the same’ I’mcurious as to where this is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-thing-and-sing-rhyme-to-you/612718.md?page=9)