duckling

/ˈdʌklɪŋ/

//ˈdʌklɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“duckling” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,615. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,615
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A young duck.

Corpus desk

Index EN-duckling · duckling · English

duckling · rank #43,615 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,615
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH DRI

Nearest frequency peer: DRI (-2 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 “duckling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “duckling” 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).

duckling vs dumpling
75% similar
duckling vs docking
75% similar
duckling vs ducking
88% similar

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

Key facts for duckling
PropertyValue
Headwordduckling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdʌklɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#43,615
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “duckling”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ducklinglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “DRI” (#43,613), “EAC” (#43,617), “Drago” (#43,612). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “duckling” is #43,615. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around duckling (IPA /ˈdʌklɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,615 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for duckling, with forms such as "dcukling", "dduckling", and "ducckling". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "dumpling", "docking", "ducking", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dokeling, dukling, dookelynge (“duckling”), equivalent to duck + -ling. The correct English form is duckling, spelled D-U-C-K-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A young duck.
  2. 2
    A young duck.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Good night, darling; take that kiss to your respected mother, and tell her with my compliments that we can’t afford to make ducks and drakes of the romance of our little pet’s life: she will hatch those birds for herself in due time, and remain cluck-clucking, wisely, but sadly, like a perplexed old hen, when her ducklings and drakelings have unexpectedly…
  2. Referring to Table 1 it will be seen that if a breeding duck produces 40 marketable progeny each year (and in practice this should be achieved) half of which are ducklings and the other half drakelings, and these birds realise 2s. per lb. live weight, then that breeding duck would return approximately £15 10s. over feeding costs for the 12 months.

Etymology

From Middle English dokeling, dukling, dookelynge (“duckling”), equivalent to duck + -ling.

This word in other languages

patito(Español)canardeau(Français)Entenküken(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dcukling
  • dduckling
  • ducckling
  • duckilng
  • duckkling
  • ducklign
  • ducklingg
  • ducklinng
  • ducklling
  • ducklnig
  • duclking
  • dukcling
  • udckling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

dcukling2dduckling1ducckling1duckilng2duckkling1ducklign2ducklingg1ducklinng1
Edit distance from "duckling"

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 "duckling"?
"duckling" is spelled D-U-C-K-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌklɪŋ/.
What does "duckling" mean?
As a noun, "duckling" means: A young duck.
What words are commonly confused with "duckling"?
"duckling" is commonly confused with "dumpling", "docking", "ducking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "duckling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duckling" is /ˈdʌklɪŋ/. 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 "duckling"?
From Middle English dokeling, dukling, dookelynge (“duckling”), equivalent to duck + -ling. 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 "duckling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

downwind#43,611essayist#43,631excavate#43,632darkroom#43,594

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Dalmatian13 variantsFinsbury13 variantscourtesan13 variantsForsythe13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list