asking

/ˈæskɪŋ/

//ˈæskɪŋ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“asking” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,158. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,158
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-asking · asking · English

asking · rank #1,158 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,158
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH announced

Nearest frequency peer: announced (-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 “asking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “asking” 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).

asking vs Atkins
50% similar
asking vs awning
67% similar
asking vs akin
67% similar

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

Key facts for asking
PropertyValue
Headwordasking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈæskɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,158
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asking”

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).askinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “announced” (#1,157), “calling” (#1,159), “ability” (#1,156). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asking” is #1,158. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around asking (IPA /ˈæskɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,158 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle of ask".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for asking, with forms such as "aksing", "asikng", and "askign". 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. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Atkins", "awning", "akin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English askinge, askande, from Old English āsciende, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōndī, present participle of Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn (“to ask”), equivalent to ask + -ing. The correct English form is asking, spelled A-S-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle of ask

Etymology

From Middle English askinge, askande, from Old English āsciende, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōndī, present participle of Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn (“to ask”), equivalent to ask + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aksing
  • asikng
  • askign
  • askingg
  • askinng
  • askking
  • asknig
  • assking
  • saking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aksing2asikng2askign2askingg1askinng1askking1asknig2assking1
Edit distance from "asking"

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 "asking"?
"asking" is spelled A-S-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæskɪŋ/.
What does "asking" mean?
As a verb, "asking" means: present participle of ask
What words are commonly confused with "asking"?
"asking" is commonly confused with "Atkins", "awning", "akin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "asking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asking" is /ˈæskɪŋ/. 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 "asking"?
From Middle English askinge, askande, from Old English āsciende, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōndī, present participle of Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn (“to ask”), equivalent to ask + -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 "asking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sounds#1,151Friday#1,167safety#1,147posted#1,146

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

calling9 variantshappens9 variantssearch9 variantsepisode9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list