congratulating

adj

"congratulating" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“congratulating” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,877 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#28,877
frequency rank, English
14
letters
22
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Congratulatory; that is giving congratulations.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

congratulating vs congratulation
86% similar
congratulating vs congratulations
87% similar

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

Key facts for congratulating
PropertyValue
Headwordcongratulating
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters14
Frequency rank#28,877
Misspellings tracked22
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “congratulating” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for congratulating is 14 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #28,877 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 22 likely wrong-spelling variants for congratulating, with forms such as "ccongratulating", "cnogratulating", and "cognratulating". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "congratulation", "congratulations", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, congratulate + -ing. The correct English form is congratulating, spelled C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Congratulatory; that is giving congratulations.
  2. 2
    Gratifying; pleasing.

Etymology

By surface analysis, congratulate + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccongratulating,cnogratulating,cognratulating,congartulating,conggratulating,congratluating,congrattulating,congratualting,congratulaitng,congratulatign,congratulatingg,congratulatinng,congratulatnig,congratulatting,congratullating,congratultaing,congrautlating,congrratulating,congrtaulating,conngratulating,conrgatulating,ocngratulating

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccongratulating1cnogratulating2cognratulating2congartulating2conggratulating1congratluating2congrattulating1congratualting2
Edit distance from "congratulating"

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 "congratulating"?
"congratulating" is spelled C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-N-G.
What does "congratulating" mean?
As an adjective, "congratulating" means: Congratulatory; that is giving congratulations.
What words are commonly confused with "congratulating"?
"congratulating" is commonly confused with "congratulation", "congratulations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "congratulating"?
By surface analysis, congratulate + -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.

Using “congratulating”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “congratulation” - see the side-by-side comparison. congratulating vs congratulation
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list