diving

/ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/

//ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ// verb

"diving" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“diving” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,895 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,895
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - present participle and gerund of dive

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

diving vs doing
67% similar
diving vs dying
67% similar
diving vs during
67% similar

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

Key facts for diving
PropertyValue
Headworddiving
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,895
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “diving” 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). diving 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 diving is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,895 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "present participle and gerund of dive".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for diving, with forms such as "ddiving", "diivng", and "divign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "doing", "dying", "during", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, dive + -ing. The correct English form is diving, spelled D-I-V-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of dive

Etymology

By surface analysis, dive + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddiving,diivng,divign,divingg,divinng,divnig,divving,dviing,idving

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddiving1diivng2divign2divingg1divinng1divnig2divving1dviing2
Edit distance from "diving"

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 "diving"?
"diving" is spelled D-I-V-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/.
What does "diving" mean?
As a verb, "diving" means: present participle and gerund of dive
What words are commonly confused with "diving"?
"diving" is commonly confused with "doing", "dying", "during". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diving"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diving" is /ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/. 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 "diving"?
By surface analysis, dive + -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 “diving”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-V-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “doing” - see the side-by-side comparison. diving vs doing
  • 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