dwindling

adj

"dwindling" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dwindling” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,742 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#25,742
frequency rank, English
9
letters
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - declining; growing less

Key facts for dwindling
PropertyValue
Headworddwindling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,742
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dwindling” 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). dwindling 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 dwindling is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #25,742 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "declining; growing less".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for dwindling, with forms such as "ddwindling", "diwndling", and "dwidnling". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is dwindling, spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    declining; growing less

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddwindling,diwndling,dwidnling,dwinddling,dwindilng,dwindlign,dwindlingg,dwindlinng,dwindlling,dwindlnig,dwinlding,dwinndling,dwnidling,dwwindling,wdindling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dwindling - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddwindling1diwndling2dwidnling2dwinddling1dwindilng2dwindlign2dwindlingg1dwindlinng1
Edit distance from "dwindling"

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 "dwindling"?
"dwindling" is spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-I-N-G.
What does "dwindling" mean?
As an adjective, "dwindling" means: declining; growing less
What are common misspellings of "dwindling"?
Common misspellings include "ddwindling", "diwndling", "dwidnling", "dwinddling", "dwindilng". The correct spelling is "dwindling".
What language does "dwindling" come from?
"dwindling" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “dwindling”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-W-I-N-D-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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