breathing

/ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/

//ˈbɹiːðɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“breathing” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,429 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,429
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

breathing vs beating
78% similar
breathing vs bathing
78% similar
breathing vs breaking
78% similar

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

Key facts for breathing
PropertyValue
Headwordbreathing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,429
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “breathing” 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). breathing 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 breathing is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,429 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for breathing, with forms such as "bbreathing", "berathing", and "braething". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "beating", "bathing", "breaking", 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 breathe + -ing. The correct English form is breathing, spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.
  2. 2
    A diacritical mark indicating aspiration or lack thereof.
  3. 3
    Time to recover one's breath; hence, a delay, a spell of time.
  4. 4
    Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration.
  5. 5
    Aspiration; secret prayer.

Etymology

From breathe + -ing.

This word in other languages

respiración(Español)respiration(Français)Atmen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbreathing,berathing,braething,breahting,breathhing,breathign,breathingg,breathinng,breathnig,breatihng,breatthing,bretahing,brreathing,rbeathing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbreathing1berathing2braething2breahting2breathhing1breathign2breathingg1breathinng1
Edit distance from "breathing"

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 "breathing"?
"breathing" is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/.
What does "breathing" mean?
As a noun, "breathing" means: verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.
What words are commonly confused with "breathing"?
"breathing" is commonly confused with "beating", "bathing", "breaking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "breathing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "breathing" is /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/. 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 "breathing"?
From breathe + -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 “breathing”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “beating” - see the side-by-side comparison. breathing vs beating
  • 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