ceiling

/ˈsiːlɪŋ/

//ˈsiːlɪŋ// noun

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

"ceiling" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ceiling” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,302. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,302
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The overhead closure of a room.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ceiling · ceiling · English

ceiling · rank #5,302 · 10 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,302
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carpet

Nearest frequency peer: carpet (-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 “ceiling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ceiling” 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).

ceiling vs cling
71% similar
ceiling vs citing
71% similar
ceiling vs Celine
57% similar

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

Key facts for ceiling
PropertyValue
Headwordceiling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsiːlɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,302
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ceiling”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ceilinglands here:

#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 “carpet” (#5,301), “cherry” (#5,303), “cancel” (#5,300). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “ceiling” is #5,302. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around ceiling (IPA /ˈsiːlɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,302 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ceiling, with forms such as "cceiling", "ceiilng", and "ceilign". 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. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "cling", "citing", "Celine", 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 Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -ing. The correct English form is ceiling, spelled C-E-I-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The overhead closure of a room.
  2. 2
    The upper limit of an object or action.
  3. 3
    The highest altitude at which an aircraft can safely maintain flight.
  4. 4
    The measurement of visible distance from ground or sea level to an overcast cloud cover; under a clear sky, the ceiling measurement is identified as "unlimited."
  5. 5
    The smallest integer greater than or equal to a given number.
  6. 6
    The inner planking of a vessel.
  7. 7
    The maximum permitted level in a financial transaction.
  8. 8
    The overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The dining room had an ornate ceiling.
  2. […] and only at Barnet did Tappin give Empire of India a burst to bring us up to the 60 m.p.h. speed ceiling of the London area.

Etymology

From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -ing.

Synonyms

ceilceil

Antonyms

floor

This word in other languages

techo(Español)plafond(Français)Decke(Deutsch)teto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cceiling
  • ceiilng
  • ceilign
  • ceilingg
  • ceilinng
  • ceilling
  • ceilnig
  • celiing
  • cieling
  • eciling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cceiling1ceiilng2ceilign2ceilingg1ceilinng1ceilling1ceilnig2celiing2
Edit distance from "ceiling"

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 "ceiling"?
"ceiling" is spelled C-E-I-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsiːlɪŋ/.
What does "ceiling" mean?
As a noun, "ceiling" means: The overhead closure of a room.
What words are commonly confused with "ceiling"?
"ceiling" is commonly confused with "cling", "citing", "Celine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ceiling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ceiling" is /ˈsiːlɪŋ/. 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 "ceiling"?
From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -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 "ceiling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

battles#5,296costume#5,315advised#5,288deleted#5,317

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

collapse10 variantsdevoted10 variantsweakness10 variantsescaped10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list