embarrassing

/ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/

//ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ// verb

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

"embarrassing" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“embarrassing” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,595. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,595
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of embarrass

Corpus desk

Index EN-embarrassing · embarrassing · English

embarrassing · rank #5,595 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,595
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH eliminate

Nearest frequency peer: eliminate (-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 “embarrassing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “embarrassing” 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).

embarrassing vs embarrassingly
86% similar

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

Key facts for embarrassing
PropertyValue
Headwordembarrassing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/
Letters12
Frequency rank#5,595
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “embarrassing”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).embarrassinglands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “eliminate” (#5,594), “farmer” (#5,596), “elderly” (#5,593). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “embarrassing” is #5,595. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around embarrassing (IPA /ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,595 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of embarrass".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for embarrassing, with forms such as "ebmarrassing", "emabrrassing", and "embararssing". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "embarrassingly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, embarrass + -ing. The correct English form is embarrassing, spelled E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of embarrass

Etymology

By surface analysis, embarrass + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ebmarrassing
  • emabrrassing
  • embararssing
  • embarassing
  • embarrasing
  • embarrasisng
  • embarrassign
  • embarrassingg
  • embarrassinng
  • embarrassnig
  • embarrsasing
  • embbarrassing
  • embrarassing
  • emmbarrassing
  • mebarrassing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ebmarrassing2emabrrassing2embararssing2embarassing1embarrasing1embarrasisng2embarrassign2embarrassingg1
Edit distance from "embarrassing"

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 "embarrassing"?
"embarrassing" is spelled E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/.
What does "embarrassing" mean?
As a verb, "embarrassing" means: present participle and gerund of embarrass
What words are commonly confused with "embarrassing"?
"embarrassing" is commonly confused with "embarrassingly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "embarrassing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "embarrassing" is /ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/. 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 "embarrassing"?
By surface analysis, embarrass + -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 "embarrassing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

productivity#5,617accomplished#5,568satisfaction#5,546installation#5,508

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

convenient15 variantscompromise15 variantsmedication15 variantsadventures15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list