ailing

/ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/

//ˈeɪ.lɪŋ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ailing" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ailing” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,993. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,993
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ailment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ailing · ailing · English

ailing · rank #25,993 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,993
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Aiken

Nearest frequency peer: Aiken (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ailing”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ailing” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ailing vs along
67% similar
ailing vs Alina
50% similar
ailing vs aline
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ailing
PropertyValue
Headwordailing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,993
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ailing”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ailinglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Aiken” (#25,992), “airflow” (#25,994), “Ahmedabad” (#25,991). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ailing” is #25,993. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around ailing (IPA /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,993 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An ailment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ailing, with forms such as "aiilng", "ailign", and "ailingg". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "along", "Alina", "aline", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is ailing, spelled A-I-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ailment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how ailing appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aiilng
  • ailign
  • ailingg
  • ailinng
  • ailling
  • ailnig
  • aliing
  • ialing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ailing - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aiilng2ailign2ailingg1ailinng1ailling1ailnig2aliing2ialing2
Edit distance from "ailing"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ailing"?
"ailing" is spelled A-I-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/.
What does "ailing" mean?
As a noun, "ailing" means: An ailment.
What words are commonly confused with "ailing"?
"ailing" is commonly confused with "along", "Alina", "aline". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ailing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ailing" is /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ailing" come from?
"ailing" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ailing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

amazes#25,998wrecks#25,978Bertie#26,012bitchy#26,014

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

bowels8 variantsunwise8 variantstiered8 variantscocoon8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list