containing

/kənˈteɪnɪŋ/

//kənˈteɪnɪŋ// verb

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

"containing" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“containing” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,418. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,418
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of contain

Corpus desk

Index EN-containing · containing · English

containing · rank #3,418 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,418
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH confident

Nearest frequency peer: confident (-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 “containing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “containing” 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).

containing vs continuing
80% similar
containing vs contacting
80% similar

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

Key facts for containing
PropertyValue
Headwordcontaining
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈteɪnɪŋ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,418
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “containing”

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).containinglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “confident” (#3,417), “copies” (#3,419), “commitment” (#3,416). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “containing” is #3,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around containing (IPA /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,418 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of contain".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for containing, with forms such as "ccontaining", "cnotaining", and "conatining". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "continuing", "contacting", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is containing, spelled C-O-N-T-A-I-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of contain

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems— […]. Such a slow-release device containing angiogenic factors could be placed on the pia mater covering the cerebral cortex and tested in persons with senile dementia in long term studies.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontaining
  • cnotaining
  • conatining
  • conntaining
  • contaiinng
  • containign
  • containingg
  • containinng
  • containnig
  • containning
  • contaniing
  • contianing
  • conttaining
  • cotnaining
  • ocntaining

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontaining1cnotaining2conatining2conntaining1contaiinng2containign2containingg1containinng1
Edit distance from "containing"

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 "containing"?
"containing" is spelled C-O-N-T-A-I-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/.
What does "containing" mean?
As a verb, "containing" means: present participle and gerund of contain
What words are commonly confused with "containing"?
"containing" is commonly confused with "continuing", "contacting". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "containing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "containing" is /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "containing" come from?
"containing" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "containing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

commitment#3,416lieutenant#3,376afterwards#3,463components#3,355

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

electrical15 variantsindustries15 variantsreferences15 variantscontracts15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list