answering

/ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/

//ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ// verb

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

"answering" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“answering” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,326. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,326
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of answer

Corpus desk

Index EN-answering · answering · English

answering · rank #6,326 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,326
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH animated

Nearest frequency peer: animated (-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 “answering”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “answering” 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
Key facts for answering
PropertyValue
Headwordanswering
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#6,326
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “answering”

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).answeringlands 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 “animated” (#6,325), “assess” (#6,327), “altogether” (#6,324). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “answering” is #6,326. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around answering (IPA /ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,326 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of answer".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for answering, with forms such as "annswering", "ansewring", and "ansswering". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English answerynge; equivalent to answer + -ing. The correct English form is answering, spelled A-N-S-W-E-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of answer

Etymology

From Middle English answerynge; equivalent to answer + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • annswering
  • ansewring
  • ansswering
  • answeirng
  • answerign
  • answeringg
  • answerinng
  • answernig
  • answerring
  • answreing
  • answwering
  • anwsering
  • asnwering
  • naswering

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of answering - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

annswering1ansewring2ansswering1answeirng2answerign2answeringg1answerinng1answernig2
Edit distance from "answering"

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 "answering"?
"answering" is spelled A-N-S-W-E-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/.
What does "answering" mean?
As a verb, "answering" means: present participle and gerund of answer
What are common misspellings of "answering"?
Common misspellings include "annswering", "ansewring", "ansswering", "answeirng", "answerign". The correct spelling is "answering".
How do you pronounce "answering"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "answering" is /ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "answering"?
From Middle English answerynge; equivalent to answer + -ing. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 "answering", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

affecting#6,322warehouse#6,315variation#6,312commented#6,343

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

assumption14 variantscomputing14 variantscontinent14 variantsexcellence14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list