drilling

/ˈdɹɪlɪŋ/

//ˈdɹɪlɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“drilling” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,915. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,915
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of drilling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-drilling · drilling · English

drilling · rank #7,915 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,915
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH downs

Nearest frequency peer: downs (-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 “drilling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “drilling” 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).

drilling vs driving
75% similar
drilling vs drinking
75% similar
drilling vs dwelling
75% similar

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

Key facts for drilling
PropertyValue
Headworddrilling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɹɪlɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,915
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “drilling”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “downs” (#7,914), “drums” (#7,916), “dodge” (#7,913). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “drilling” is #7,915. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around drilling (IPA /ˈdɹɪlɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,915 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act or process of drilling.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for drilling, with forms such as "ddrilling", "dirlling", and "drililng". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "driving", "drinking", "dwelling", 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 drill + -ing. The correct English form is drilling, spelled D-R-I-L-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of drilling.

Etymology

From drill + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddrilling
  • dirlling
  • drililng
  • driling
  • drillign
  • drillingg
  • drillinng
  • drillnig
  • drliling
  • drrilling
  • rdilling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddrilling1dirlling2drililng2driling1drillign2drillingg1drillinng1drillnig2
Edit distance from "drilling"

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 "drilling"?
"drilling" is spelled D-R-I-L-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɪlɪŋ/.
What does "drilling" mean?
As a noun, "drilling" means: The act or process of drilling.
What words are commonly confused with "drilling"?
"drilling" is commonly confused with "driving", "drinking", "dwelling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drilling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drilling" is /ˈdɹɪlɪŋ/. 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 "drilling"?
From drill + -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 "drilling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

incoming#7,932minerals#7,942Berkeley#7,887offended#7,951

Similar misspelling depth

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

desktop11 variantsdescent11 variantscommittees11 variantsAndrews11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list