The spelling of the word "appalling" might seem odd at first glance, but it actually follows the rules of English phonetics. The initial "a" is pronounced as a short "uh" sound, while the double "pp" indicates a strong emphasis on the following vowel sound. The second "a" is pronounced as a long "a" sound, and the final "lling" is pronounced with a hard "l" sound followed by the "ing" sound. Altogether, the IPA phonetic transcription for "appalling" is əˈpɔː.lɪŋ.
Appalling is an adjective that describes something that is extremely shocking, disgusting, or horrifying. It is used to express strong disapproval or revulsion towards something that is considered deeply offensive, disturbing, or morally reprehensible.
The word "appalling" emphasizes the gravity and severity of the situation, suggesting that the thing described goes beyond typical or ordinary levels of unpleasantness. It often carries a connotation of disgust, outrage, or disbelief at the extreme nature of the object or event being described.
For example, if one were to say that a crime committed was appalling, it indicates that the crime was not only morally wrong, but also incredibly offensive and horrifying in its nature. Similarly, if someone were to describe a film as appalling, it would mean that the film was not just bad, but deeply disturbing and offensive to a significant degree.
Overall, "appalling" encompasses a range of negative emotions, from shock and revulsion to anger and outrage, and is applied to situations, events, behaviors, or objects that are considered highly offensive, shocking, or morally repugnant.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "appalling" originated from the verb "appall", which entered the English language in the late 16th century. The term can be traced back to the Old French word "apalir" or "apalir" (later spelled "espallier"), meaning "to grow pale" or "to become pale". Eventually, "appall" took on the meaning of "to make someone pale or look faint" in English. Over time, the word's connotation shifted from physical paleness to describing something that causes great shock, horror, or dismay. Thus, "appalling" evolved as an adjective to describe something shocking, horrible, or deeply disturbing.