gerund or present participle
Giving information to someone by speaking or writing.
Telling her the news was not easy.
Sam is telling us about the new job.
American English
How to pronounce telling
verb · adjectiveA2Very common word
TʰEHlihng
/ˈtʰɛ.lɪŋ/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of tell
Telling is used as a gerund or present participle, and it is also a common adjective meaning revealing.
Giving information to someone by speaking or writing.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
gerund or present participle
Giving someone an instruction or strong advice about what to do.
Telling him to wait was a mistake.
The doctor is telling me to take this medicine.
gerund or present participle
Sharing a story, joke, or personal experience by speaking.
Telling stories helps children learn.
Lisa is telling a funny joke.
gerund or present participle
Recognizing the difference between things or understanding something from what you see or hear.
Telling the twins apart is hard.
Telling if the milk is fresh can be difficult.
Useful expressions
say what is true
Please tell the truth.
recognize the difference between two people or things
I can never tell these brothers apart.
inform a person in authority that someone did something wrong, usually to get that person in trouble
Don’t tell on me to the teacher.
Related words & forms
The past and past participle are told. The -ing form is telling, with double l.