beginning

/bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/

//bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“beginning” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,066 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,066
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or sta...

Key facts for beginning
PropertyValue
Headwordbeginning
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,066
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “beginning” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). beginning lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for beginning is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,066 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for beginning, with forms such as "bbeginning", "begginning", and "begining". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin + -ing. The correct English form is beginning, spelled B-E-G-I-N-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
  2. 2
    That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
  3. 3
    That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.
  4. 4
    The initial portion of some extended thing.

Etymology

From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin + -ing.

Synonyms

commencingstartstartinggenesiselementembryorudimentoriginsourcestartcommencementheadstartbeginningbirthfontfountinaugurationinitiationlaunchspringspringtimeonsetoriginationyouth

Antonyms

conclusionendcompletionfinish

This word in other languages

comienzo(Español)début(Français)Anfang(Deutsch)início(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbeginning,begginning,begining,begininng,beginnign,beginningg,beginninng,beginnnig,begnining,beignning,bgeinning,ebginning

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beginning - 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.

bbeginning1begginning1begining1begininng2beginnign2beginningg1beginninng1beginnnig2
Edit distance from "beginning"

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 "beginning"?
"beginning" is spelled B-E-G-I-N-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/.
What does "beginning" mean?
As a noun, "beginning" means: The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or sta...
What are common misspellings of "beginning"?
Common misspellings include "bbeginning", "begginning", "begining", "begininng", "beginnign". The correct spelling is "beginning".
How do you pronounce "beginning"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beginning" is /bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/. 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 "beginning"?
From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin + -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.

Using “beginning”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-G-I-N-N-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bᵻˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list