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I heard the word "stingy" which was pronounced with the "g" like in the word "ground" in context of some soreness in mouth or so (caused by some chemicals) - is it the different word from "stingy" person? Stingy person we say "steenjee", not stingy with G of "ground".

Thanks.

UPD Can someone answer the question? I see a lot of comments but no one wants to answer. Let me ask it in a simpler way - does this word "stingy" with hard g exists? I did not find any such transcription in any dictionary.

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  • Not always. Some people pronounce "g" of singer, but people generally don't. The adjective stingy derived from the verb sting is same. Some pronounce "g", but people generally don't.
    – user24743
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 17:24
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    @Rathony: I have never heard anyone pronounce stingy with anything other than a soft g (apart from maybe a child using it inappropriately with the archaic sense having sting-like attributes). Interestingly, etymonline says the current meaning (niggardly, penurious, extremely tight-fisted) was first recorded in the 1650s, but it's of uncertain origin, perhaps a dialectal alteration of earlier stingy "biting, sharp, stinging" (1610s), from sting (v.). So it's at least possible they're etymologically unrelated.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 17:46
  • @FumbleFingers It might be a difference between AmE and BrE, but the IPA pronunciation of stingy is /ˈstɪŋi/. I don't think the two adjectives have the same root, either.
    – user24743
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 17:53
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    With a soft g it means someone who does not spend money, with a hard g it means something that has a sting-like quality, ie the stingy thingy (sting-ee thing-ee) where a long ee is added (to pretty much anything) to "make" it an adjective.
    – Peter
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 17:53
  • If we're ignoring the main current meaning of stingy, the issue is just whether ng is "nasalised" or not (it is, for almost all speakers). In which case better examples might be, say, stringy or slangy (or hanger, singer, etc., come to that).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 18:01

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When describing something that stings, it is more common to use stinging. Using stingy in this way is, I would say, a legitimate use of language, but it sounds highly unusual and somewhat childish to my ear. Using in this way I would always use a hard G sound to distinguish it from the much more common homonym. I don't think anyone would understand what you meant if you said you had a "stinjy" feeling in your mouth.

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  • Oh, great answer! +1
    – Ilan
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 19:54

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