bewildering

/bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ/

//bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ// adj

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

"bewildering" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bewildering” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,197. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,197
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very baffling, confusing, or perplexing, often due to a very large choice being available.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bewildering · bewildering · English

bewildering · rank #35,197 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,197
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH billiards

Nearest frequency peer: billiards (+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 “bewildering”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bewildering” 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 bewildering
PropertyValue
Headwordbewildering
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#35,197
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bewildering”

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).bewilderinglands 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 “billiards” (#35,198), “bequest” (#35,195), “Bastian” (#35,194). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bewildering” is #35,197. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around bewildering (IPA /bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #35,197 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Very baffling, confusing, or perplexing, often due to a very large choice being available.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for bewildering, with forms such as "bbewildering", "beiwldering", and "bewidlering". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bewilder (“to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices”) + -ing (suffix forming nouns or noun-like words from verbs, denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action; and forming the… The correct English form is bewildering, spelled B-E-W-I-L-D-E-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Very baffling, confusing, or perplexing, often due to a very large choice being available.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was a bewildering collection of curiosities filling the room.
  2. —At once bewildering mists around him close, / And cold and hunger are the least of woes; / The Demon of the Snow, with angry roar / Descending, shuts for aye his prison door.

Etymology

From bewilder (“to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices”) + -ing (suffix forming nouns or noun-like words from verbs, denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action; and forming the present participles of verbs).

This word in other languages

desconcertante(Español)abasourdissant(Français)befremdlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbewildering
  • beiwldering
  • bewidlering
  • bewilddering
  • bewildeirng
  • bewilderign
  • bewilderingg
  • bewilderinng
  • bewildernig
  • bewilderring
  • bewildreing
  • bewiledring
  • bewilldering
  • bewlidering
  • bewwildering
  • bweildering
  • ebwildering

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbewildering1beiwldering2bewidlering2bewilddering1bewildeirng2bewilderign2bewilderingg1bewilderinng1
Edit distance from "bewildering"

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 "bewildering"?
"bewildering" is spelled B-E-W-I-L-D-E-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ/.
What does "bewildering" mean?
As an adjective, "bewildering" means: Very baffling, confusing, or perplexing, often due to a very large choice being available.
What are common misspellings of "bewildering"?
Common misspellings include "bbewildering", "beiwldering", "bewidlering", "bewilddering", "bewildeirng". The correct spelling is "bewildering".
How do you pronounce "bewildering"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bewildering" is /bɪˈwɪldəɹɪŋ/. 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 "bewildering"?
From bewilder (“to confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices”) + -ing (suffix forming nouns or noun-like words from verbs, denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action; and f... 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 "bewildering", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

blasphemous#35,204adversarial#35,174cliffhanger#35,220Aberystwyth#35,170

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

amphitheatre17 variantsdeceptively17 variantseccentricity17 variantsspontaneity17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list