choking

/ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ/

//ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“choking” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,299. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,299
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process in which a person's airway becomes blocked, resulting in asphyxia in cases that are not treated promptly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-choking · choking · English

choking · rank #13,299 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,299
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cheryl

Nearest frequency peer: Cheryl (-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 “choking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “choking” 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).

choking vs Chong
57% similar
choking vs coming
71% similar
choking vs coding
71% similar

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

Key facts for choking
PropertyValue
Headwordchoking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,299
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “choking”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Cheryl” (#13,298), “Cindy” (#13,300), “cheesy” (#13,297). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “choking” is #13,299. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around choking (IPA /ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,299 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for choking, with forms such as "cchoking", "chhoking", and "chkoing". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Chong", "coming", "coding", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, choke + -ing. The correct English form is choking, spelled C-H-O-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process in which a person's airway becomes blocked, resulting in asphyxia in cases that are not treated promptly.
  2. 2
    The act of coughing when a person finds it difficult to breathe.
  3. 3
    The act of trying to kill a person by strangulation.
  4. 4
    The result of something being choked.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the last 6 years, there has been a great effort to educate the public concerning the prevention of choking due to accidental aspiration of foods or small objects by children.
  2. The study found that 29 percent of nonfood-related chokings were caused by latex balloons.

Etymology

By surface analysis, choke + -ing.

This word in other languages

ahogo(Español)Ersticken(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchoking
  • chhoking
  • chkoing
  • choikng
  • chokign
  • chokingg
  • chokinng
  • chokking
  • choknig
  • cohking
  • hcoking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchoking1chhoking1chkoing2choikng2chokign2chokingg1chokinng1chokking1
Edit distance from "choking"

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 "choking"?
"choking" is spelled C-H-O-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ/.
What does "choking" mean?
As a noun, "choking" means: The process in which a person's airway becomes blocked, resulting in asphyxia in cases that are not treated promptly.
What words are commonly confused with "choking"?
"choking" is commonly confused with "Chong", "coming", "coding". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "choking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "choking" is /ˈtʃəʊkɪŋ/. 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 "choking"?
By surface analysis, choke + -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 "choking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cushion#13,316awaited#13,281cyclist#13,317dictate#13,320

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

announcer11 variantstyphoon11 variantsfascism11 variantssocietal11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list