building

/ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/

//ˈbɪl.dɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“building” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #510. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#510
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process by which something is built; construction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-building · building · English

building · rank #510 · 12 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #510
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH behind

Nearest frequency peer: behind (-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 “building”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “building” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

building vs bulging
75% similar
building vs bullying
75% similar
building vs buildings
89% similar

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

Key facts for building
PropertyValue
Headwordbuilding
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#510
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “building”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).buildinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “behind” (#509), “easy” (#511), “art” (#508). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “building” is #510. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around building (IPA /ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #510 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for building, with forms such as "bbuilding", "biulding", and "buidling". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "bulging", "bullying", "buildings", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English byldynge, buyldyng, byldyng, buldynge, buldyng, boldyng, equivalent to build + -ing. Compare also related Middle English bold (“edifice, castle, mansion”), from Old English bold (“building, dwelling, house”). The correct English form is building, spelled B-U-I-L-D-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process by which something is built; construction.
  2. 2
    A closed structure with walls and a roof.
  3. 3
    Synonym of Tits building.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The building of the bridge will be completed in a couple of weeks.
  2. My sister lives in that apartment building.

Etymology

From Middle English byldynge, buyldyng, byldyng, buldynge, buldyng, boldyng, equivalent to build + -ing. Compare also related Middle English bold (“edifice, castle, mansion”), from Old English bold (“building, dwelling, house”).

Synonyms

buildingedificewark

This word in other languages

edificación(Español)construction(Français)Bau(Deutsch)edificação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbuilding
  • biulding
  • buidling
  • buildding
  • buildign
  • buildingg
  • buildinng
  • buildnig
  • builidng
  • buillding
  • buliding
  • ubilding

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbuilding1biulding2buidling2buildding1buildign2buildingg1buildinng1buildnig2
Edit distance from "building"

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 "building"?
"building" is spelled B-U-I-L-D-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/.
What does "building" mean?
As a noun, "building" means: The act or process by which something is built; construction.
What words are commonly confused with "building"?
"building" is commonly confused with "bulging", "bullying", "buildings". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "building"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "building" is /ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/. 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 "building"?
From Middle English byldynge, buyldyng, byldyng, buldynge, buldyng, boldyng, equivalent to build + -ing. Compare also related Middle English bold (“edifice, castle, mansion”), from Old English bold (“building, dwelling, house”). 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 "building", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

although#498yourself#496services#494students#565

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

according12 variantscommunity12 variantsquestion12 variantsremember12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list