dashing

/ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)/

//ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)// adj

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

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

The verdict

“dashing” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,330. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,330
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Spirited, audacious and full of high spirits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dashing · dashing · English

dashing · rank #20,330 · 11 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,330
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dartmouth

Nearest frequency peer: Dartmouth (-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 “dashing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dashing” 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).

dashing vs dating
71% similar
dashing vs dusting
71% similar
dashing vs dawning
71% similar

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

Key facts for dashing
PropertyValue
Headworddashing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,330
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dashing”

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).dashinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Dartmouth” (#20,329), “departmental” (#20,331), “dai” (#20,328). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dashing” is #20,330. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around dashing (IPA /ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,330 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for dashing, with forms such as "adshing", "dahsing", and "dashhing". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "dating", "dusting", "dawning", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English daschande, equivalent to dash + -ing. The correct English form is dashing, spelled D-A-S-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Spirited, audacious and full of high spirits.
  2. 2
    Chic, fashionable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. All heads turned as the dashing young man entered the room.

Etymology

From Middle English daschande, equivalent to dash + -ing.

This word in other languages

enérgico(Español)fringant(Français)schneidig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adshing
  • dahsing
  • dashhing
  • dashign
  • dashingg
  • dashinng
  • dashnig
  • dasihng
  • dasshing
  • ddashing
  • dsahing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dashing - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

adshing2dahsing2dashhing1dashign2dashingg1dashinng1dashnig2dasihng2
Edit distance from "dashing"

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 "dashing"?
"dashing" is spelled D-A-S-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)/.
What does "dashing" mean?
As an adjective, "dashing" means: Spirited, audacious and full of high spirits.
What words are commonly confused with "dashing"?
"dashing" is commonly confused with "dating", "dusting", "dawning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dashing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dashing" is /ˈdæʃɪŋ(ɡ)/. 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 "dashing"?
From Middle English daschande, equivalent to dash + -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 "dashing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ditched#20,338Colombo#20,314chevron#20,310Burmese#20,306

Similar misspelling depth

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

coercion11 variantsbravely11 variantsflanked11 variantsflushed11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list