What does equalling mean?
"Equalling" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "to equal," meaning to match something exactly in quantity, size, value, quality, or achievement. When one thing equals another, there is no difference between them on the measure being considered — a score can equal a record, an income can equal an expenditure, and one person's skill can equal another's. The word carries a precise, often statistical flavor, appearing frequently in sports journalism, finance, and academic writing, where exact numerical correspondence matters. In informal speech, speakers tend to prefer alternatives like "matching" or "tying." Spelling varies by region: British English doubles the final consonant to give "equalling," while American English writes "equaling." The underlying root is the Latin adjective "aequus," meaning level, even, or fair, which also gives us words such as "equator," "equity," and "adequate."
verbThe present participle and gerund of the verb "equal" — matching or being identical to something in amount, value, degree, or quality.
- To match or be identical to something in number, amount, value, or degree.
- (Gerund use) The act of matching something, used as a noun phrase.
"She ran a blistering final lap, equalling the stadium record she had set two years earlier."
"The team won 3–0, equalling their best-ever result in the competition."
"Equalling his father's achievements proved harder than surpassing them."
Whether you double the L or not says more about where you learned English than about the record you just broke — Brits write "equalling," Americans write "equaling."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of equalling
"Equalling" derives from the verb "equal," which English adopted in the late Middle Ages from Latin "aequare," meaning to make level or even, itself built on the adjective "aequus" (level, fair, equal). The same Latin root produced a wide family of English words through French, including "equator," "equity," "adequate," and "equilibrium." The doubled-L British spelling reflects standard English orthographic rules for short stressed vowels followed by a single consonant, though American usage simplified it to "equaling."
Related word forms
How equalling is actually used
"Equalling" follows British spelling conventions, which double a single final stressed consonant before vowel-initial suffixes; American English writes "equaling." The verb itself is somewhat formal or statistical in register, common in sports reporting and quantitative writing, while everyday speech often prefers "matching" or "tying."
Easily confused with equalling
"Equaling" is simply the American English spelling of the same word, while "equalling" is the British English doubling of the final consonant before adding -ing.