approving

/əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ/

//əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“approving” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,484. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,484
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expressing approbation; commending

Corpus desk

Index EN-approving · approving · English

approving · rank #18,484 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,484
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH appellate

Nearest frequency peer: appellate (-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 “approving”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “approving” 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 approving
PropertyValue
Headwordapproving
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,484
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “approving”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).approvinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “appellate” (#18,483), “armoured” (#18,485), “angrily” (#18,482). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “approving” is #18,484. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around approving (IPA /əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,484 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Expressing approbation; commending".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for approving, with forms such as "apporving", "approivng", and "approvign". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is approving, spelled A-P-P-R-O-V-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expressing approbation; commending

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She flashed an approving smile.

This word in other languages

approbateur(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apporving
  • approivng
  • approvign
  • approvingg
  • approvinng
  • approvnig
  • approvving
  • apprroving
  • apprvoing
  • aproving
  • aprpoving
  • paproving

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apporving2approivng2approvign2approvingg1approvinng1approvnig2approvving1apprroving1
Edit distance from "approving"

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 "approving"?
"approving" is spelled A-P-P-R-O-V-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ/.
What does "approving" mean?
As an adjective, "approving" means: Expressing approbation; commending
What are common misspellings of "approving"?
Common misspellings include "apporving", "approivng", "approvign", "approvingg", "approvinng". The correct spelling is "approving".
How do you pronounce "approving"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "approving" is /əˈpɹuː.vɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "approving" come from?
"approving" 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 "approving", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

appellate#18,483ascension#18,486adjective#18,475adherence#18,474

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

academies12 variantsbungalow12 variantscharisma12 variantstreadmill12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list