caterwauling
/ˈkætəwɔːlɪŋ/
"caterwauling" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“caterwauling” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - gerund of caterwaul: a sound that caterwauls.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | caterwauling |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkætəwɔːlɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “caterwauling” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
caterwauling is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkætəwɔːlɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "gerund of caterwaul: a sound that caterwauls.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for caterwauling, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From caterwaul + -ing. The correct English form is caterwauling, spelled C-A-T-E-R-W-A-U-L-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1gerund of caterwaul: a sound that caterwauls.
Etymology
From caterwaul + -ing.
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
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Using “caterwauling”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-T-E-R-W-A-U-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkætəwɔːlɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.