What does totalling mean?
Totalling means adding together a series of numbers, amounts, or quantities in order to arrive at their complete number or value. The word may also mean that a collection or sum amounts to a particular figure, as in “The estimated costs are totalling £2.3 million.” It is the present participle of “total” and is therefore used both to describe an action in progress and as a gerund naming that action. Totalling is especially common in reporting about finances, sales, applications, populations, and other quantified subjects. Although the word is neutral rather than formal, its use gives a precise, numerical tone and emphasizes the process of reaching a grand total. The form is chiefly associated with British spelling conventions, while US English generally writes “totaling,” with a single L. In both varieties, the word clearly conveys the addition of separate figures into one comprehensive sum.
verbTo add amounts together in order to find their complete number or value. It can also mean to amount to a specified total.
- Adding amounts together to find the complete number or value.
- Amounting to a specified total.
"The three regional branches are totalling 4,800 applications."
"The three regional branches are totalling 4,800 applications."
"The final estimate is totalling £2.3 million."
One word, two spellings: British English doubles the L in “totalling,” while US English usually writes “totaling.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does totalling come from?
“Totalling” is formed by adding the suffix -ing to “total.” The English word “total” came through Old French from Late Latin totalis, meaning “whole” or “complete,” a derivative of the Latin totus, meaning “the whole.” Words such as “totality,” “totalitarian,” and “totalize” developed through the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How totalling is actually used
Totalling is neutral in register but is especially common in financial, statistical, and news contexts. The spelling is chiefly British; US English normally uses “totaling.” As an -ing form, it can function as either a present participle or a gerund.
Easily confused with totalling
Tallying means recording or counting items in a tally, whereas totalling means adding amounts together to obtain the complete sum.