daunting

/ˈdɔːntɪŋ/

//ˈdɔːntɪŋ// adj

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

"daunting" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“daunting” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,117. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,117
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Discouraging; inspiring fear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-daunting · daunting · English

daunting · rank #17,117 · 12 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,117
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Darius

Nearest frequency peer: Darius (-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 “daunting”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “daunting” 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).

daunting vs dusting
75% similar
daunting vs dunning
75% similar
daunting vs dawning
75% similar

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

Key facts for daunting
PropertyValue
Headworddaunting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɔːntɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#17,117
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “daunting”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Darius” (#17,116), “demos” (#17,118), “culprit” (#17,115). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “daunting” is #17,117. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around daunting (IPA /ˈdɔːntɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,117 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for daunting, with forms such as "adunting", "danuting", and "daunitng". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "dusting", "dunning", "dawning", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From daunt + -ing. The correct English form is daunting, spelled D-A-U-N-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Discouraging; inspiring fear.
  2. 2
    Intimidatingly impressive; awe-inspiring, overwhelming.
  3. 3
    Appearing to be difficult; challenging.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Deathes daunting dart where so his buffet lights, / Shall shape no change within my friendly corse: / But dead or liue, in heauen, in earth, in hell, / I wilbe thine where so my carkase dwell.
  2. As for his menacing and daunting threats / I nill regard him nor his Daniſh power: / For if he come to fetch her forth my Realme, / I will prouide him ſuch a banquet here.

Etymology

From daunt + -ing.

This word in other languages

inquietante(Español)décourageant(Français)abschreckend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adunting
  • danuting
  • daunitng
  • daunnting
  • dauntign
  • dauntingg
  • dauntinng
  • dauntnig
  • dauntting
  • dautning
  • ddaunting
  • duanting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adunting2danuting2daunitng2daunnting1dauntign2dauntingg1dauntinng1dauntnig2
Edit distance from "daunting"

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 "daunting"?
"daunting" is spelled D-A-U-N-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɔːntɪŋ/.
What does "daunting" mean?
As an adjective, "daunting" means: Discouraging; inspiring fear.
What words are commonly confused with "daunting"?
"daunting" is commonly confused with "dusting", "dunning", "dawning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "daunting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "daunting" is /ˈdɔːntɪŋ/. 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 "daunting"?
From daunt + -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 "daunting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

conveyed#17,112distrust#17,122conceive#17,107cleavage#17,103

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

diffusion12 variantsbourgeois12 variantsawarding12 variantshousewife12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list