breathtaking

/ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/

//ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ// adj

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

"breathtaking" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“breathtaking” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,926. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,926
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - stunningly beautiful; amazing

Corpus desk

Index EN-breathtaking · breathtaking · English

breathtaking · rank #12,926 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,926
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH breaker

Nearest frequency peer: breaker (-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 “breathtaking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “breathtaking” 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 breathtaking
PropertyValue
Headwordbreathtaking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/
Letters12
Frequency rank#12,926
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “breathtaking”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “breaker” (#12,925), “browsing” (#12,927), “bourbon” (#12,924). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “breathtaking” is #12,926. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around breathtaking (IPA /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,926 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for breathtaking, with forms such as "bbreathtaking", "berathtaking", and "braethtaking". 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 entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From breath + taking. The correct English form is breathtaking, spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-T-A-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    stunningly beautiful; amazing
  2. 2
    Very surprising or shocking; to such a degree as to cause astonishment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He went to the Grand Canyon and spent a week taking in the breathtaking scenery all around him.
  2. One day this old gentleman took me for a tour of the incomparable snowscapes in Chung Nan Hai Park.* Arrayed along the eastern shore of Chung Nan Lake stood a row of linked pavilions that seemed to be floating on the surface of the water. That day, strands of snowflakes sparkled like gems where they had collected between the humps of the enameled roof til…

Etymology

From breath + taking.

This word in other languages

impresionante(Español)époustouflant(Français)atemberaubend(Deutsch)de tirar o fôlego(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbreathtaking
  • berathtaking
  • braethtaking
  • breahttaking
  • breathatking
  • breathhtaking
  • breathtaikng
  • breathtakign
  • breathtakingg
  • breathtakinng
  • breathtakking
  • breathtaknig
  • breathtkaing
  • breathttaking
  • breatthaking
  • breatthtaking
  • bretahtaking
  • brreathtaking
  • rbeathtaking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbreathtaking1berathtaking2braethtaking2breahttaking2breathatking2breathhtaking1breathtaikng2breathtakign2
Edit distance from "breathtaking"

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 "breathtaking"?
"breathtaking" is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-T-A-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/.
What does "breathtaking" mean?
As an adjective, "breathtaking" means: stunningly beautiful; amazing
What are common misspellings of "breathtaking"?
Common misspellings include "bbreathtaking", "berathtaking", "braethtaking", "breahttaking", "breathatking". The correct spelling is "breathtaking".
How do you pronounce "breathtaking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "breathtaking" is /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/. 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 "breathtaking"?
From breath + taking. 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 "breathtaking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

authenticity#12,910disappearing#12,958unidentified#12,882regeneration#12,844

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

granddaughter19 variantsmotherfucker19 variantspresbyterian19 variantsinfringement19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list