captivating

Name: captivating, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/

//ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“captivating” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,193. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,193
frequency rank, English: 5,599
“C” headwords: 17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That captivates; fascinating.

Corpus desk

Index EN-captivating · captivating · English

captivating · rank #23,193 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #23,193
LEN-MEGA 11 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 17 variants
BOOK-DENSE 5,599
PHOTO-FINISH capacitor

Nearest frequency peer: capacitor (-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.

Callahan

76,811
canteen

76,810
capacitor

76,809
captivating

76,808
carbohydrate

76,807
cavalier

76,805

What this shows “captivating” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for captivating
Property	Value
Headword	captivating
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#23,193
Misspellings tracked	17
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “captivating”

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

#23,193

#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 “capacitor” (#23,192), “carbohydrate” (#23,194), “canteen” (#23,191). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “captivating” is #23,193. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around captivating (IPA /ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,193 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for captivating, with forms such as "acptivating", "capitvating", and "capptivating". 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 dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From captivate + -ing. The correct English form is captivating, spelled C-A-P-T-I-V-A-T-I-N-G.

Definition

1
That captivates; fascinating.
2
Very beautiful or attractive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

[T]he eye is delighted by a continual succession of small landscapes of captivating loveliness.

Etymology

From captivate + -ing.

This word in other languages

arrebatador(Español)captivant(Français)cativante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

acptivating
capitvating
capptivating
captiavting
captivaitng
captivatign
captivatingg
captivatinng
captivatnig
captivatting
captivtaing
captivvating
capttivating
captviating
catpivating
ccaptivating
cpativating

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of captivating - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "captivating"

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 "captivating"?

"captivating" is spelled C-A-P-T-I-V-A-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/.

What does "captivating" mean?

As an adjective, "captivating" means: That captivates; fascinating.

What are common misspellings of "captivating"?

Common misspellings include "acptivating", "capitvating", "capptivating", "captiavting", "captivaitng". The correct spelling is "captivating".

How do you pronounce "captivating"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "captivating" is /ˈkæptɪveɪtɪŋ/. 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 "captivating"?

From captivate + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "captivating", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

commandment#23,211 conceivable#23,213 consecrated#23,219 disarmament#23,241

Similar misspelling depth

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

infestation17 variants insurrection17 variants intolerable17 variants particulars17 variants