birdling

/ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ/

//ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ// noun

"birdling" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“birdling” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A little bird; especially, a baby bird.

Corpus desk

Index EN-birdling · birdling · English

birdling · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for birdling
PropertyValue
Headwordbirdling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “birdling” in English

birdlingfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

birdling is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A little bird; especially, a baby bird.".

birdling doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bird + -ling. The correct English form is birdling, spelled B-I-R-D-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A little bird; especially, a baby bird.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: birdlet, birdie, birb; chick, nestling, fledgling
  2. Clasped, love, close to thy heart, thy birdling Foldeth her wings in peace-- Trusts, love! feeling nor cold nor shadow, Finding at last her ease, From fear a safe release, Heart's love, with thee."

Etymology

From bird + -ling.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "birdling"?
"birdling" is spelled B-I-R-D-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ/.
What does "birdling" mean?
As a noun, "birdling" means: A little bird; especially, a baby bird.
How do you pronounce "birdling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "birdling" is /ˈbɜɹd.lɪŋ/. 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 "birdling"?
From bird + -ling. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list