envying

noun

"envying" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“envying” is uncommon English (frequency #86,247 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,247
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of envy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-envying · envying · English

envying · rank #86,247 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,247
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH ephemeris

Nearest frequency peer: ephemeris (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “envying”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “envying” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for envying
PropertyValue
Headwordenvying
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#86,247
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “envying” in English

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).envyingfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “ephemeris” (#86,248), “engendering” (#86,244), “ERU” (#86,251). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “envying” is #86,247. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

envying is uncommon English at frequency #86,247 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A feeling of envy.".

envying doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is envying, spelled E-N-V-Y-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of envy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Their moderation may perhaps keep them from the bitter envyings and hatred, to which ambitious worldlings are subject […]
  2. "What a small, worthless thing," exclaimed Henrietta, "is our existence, filled with mean envyings, paltry hopes! and, if for one instant redeemed by a true affection, or a generous emotion, what wretchedness is sure to follow the indulgence of either!"

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 "envying"?
"envying" is spelled E-N-V-Y-I-N-G.
What does "envying" mean?
As a noun, "envying" means: A feeling of envy.
What language does "envying" come from?
"envying" 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "envying", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list