continuing

/kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ/

//kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“continuing” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,101. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,101
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-continuing · continuing · English

continuing · rank #3,101 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,101
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH consistent

Nearest frequency peer: consistent (-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 “continuing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “continuing” 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).

continuing vs convincing
80% similar
continuing vs continuity
80% similar
continuing vs containing
80% similar

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

Key facts for continuing
PropertyValue
Headwordcontinuing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,101
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “continuing”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “consistent” (#3,100), “earn” (#3,102), “auto” (#3,099). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “continuing” is #3,101. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around continuing (IPA /kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,101 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of continue".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for continuing, with forms such as "ccontinuing", "cnotinuing", and "conitnuing". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "convincing", "continuity", "containing", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is continuing, spelled C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of continue

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives.[…]who, if anyone, is policing their use[?] Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its cove…

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontinuing
  • cnotinuing
  • conitnuing
  • conntinuing
  • continiung
  • continnuing
  • continuign
  • continuingg
  • continuinng
  • continunig
  • contiuning
  • contniuing
  • conttinuing
  • cotninuing
  • ocntinuing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontinuing1cnotinuing2conitnuing2conntinuing1continiung2continnuing1continuign2continuingg1
Edit distance from "continuing"

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 "continuing"?
"continuing" is spelled C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ/.
What does "continuing" mean?
As a verb, "continuing" means: present participle and gerund of continue
What words are commonly confused with "continuing"?
"continuing" is commonly confused with "convincing", "continuity", "containing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "continuing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "continuing" is /kənˈtɪn.juːɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "continuing" come from?
"continuing" 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 "continuing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list