Running

How to spell running

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce running

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does running mean?

1. verbMoving rapidly on foot so that both feet leave the ground between strides.
2. verbOperating, managing, or keeping something in working order.
3. adjectiveContinuous, ongoing, or kept updated from moment to moment.

Running in a sentence

• verb

  She kept running until she reached the far end of the park.

• verb

  She has been running the family business for over a decade.

• adjective

  The spreadsheet showed a running total of the day's sales.

• verb

  The children were running around the garden all afternoon.

• verb

  The engine was running smoothly after the service.

• adjective

  They kept a running commentary throughout the match.

Where does running come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Running is the present participle of the verb 'run', a thoroughly native word that descends from Old English, where the verb appeared in forms such as 'rinnan' and 'iernan', meaning 'to move swiftly on foot' or 'to flow'. These came from a shared Germanic root that also gave Dutch 'rennen' and German 'rennen', all carrying the idea of rapid movement. From its earliest days the word covered both a person dashing along and water streaming downhill, which is why we still speak of 'running water' today. The spelling trap lives entirely in the suffix: because 'run' ends in a single consonant after a short, stressed vowel, that consonant doubles before '-ing', giving the double 'n' of running rather than the wrong 'runing'. The same doubling rule explains relatives like 'beginning' and 'swimming'.

How the word is built

• run (verb root)
• -n- (consonant doubled after a short stressed vowel)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)