exhausting

/ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/

//ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ// adj

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

"exhausting" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exhausting” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,971. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,971
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very tiring.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exhausting · exhausting · English

exhausting · rank #12,971 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,971
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH evidently

Nearest frequency peer: evidently (-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 “exhausting”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “exhausting” 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).

exhausting vs exhaustion
80% similar
exhausting vs exhaustive
80% similar

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

Key facts for exhausting
PropertyValue
Headwordexhausting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#12,971
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “exhausting”

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).exhaustinglands 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 “evidently” (#12,970), “extras” (#12,972), “Evelyn” (#12,969). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exhausting” is #12,971. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around exhausting (IPA /ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,971 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Very tiring.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for exhausting, with forms such as "ehxausting", "exahusting", and "exhasuting". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "exhaustion", "exhaustive", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From exhaust + -ing. The correct English form is exhausting, spelled E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Very tiring.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. This task is exhausting!

Etymology

From exhaust + -ing.

This word in other languages

agotador(Español)épuisant(Français)strapaziös(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehxausting
  • exahusting
  • exhasuting
  • exhausitng
  • exhaussting
  • exhaustign
  • exhaustingg
  • exhaustinng
  • exhaustnig
  • exhaustting
  • exhautsing
  • exhhausting
  • exhuasting
  • exxhausting
  • xehausting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exhausting - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ehxausting2exahusting2exhasuting2exhausitng2exhaussting1exhaustign2exhaustingg1exhaustinng1
Edit distance from "exhausting"

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 "exhausting"?
"exhausting" is spelled E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/.
What does "exhausting" mean?
As an adjective, "exhausting" means: Very tiring.
What words are commonly confused with "exhausting"?
"exhausting" is commonly confused with "exhaustion", "exhaustive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exhausting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exhausting" is /ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/. 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 "exhausting"?
From exhaust + -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 "exhausting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fascinated#12,975gymnastics#12,985cultivated#12,952Lancashire#13,006

Similar misspelling depth

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

equilibrium15 variantsbenchmark15 variantspertaining15 variantsprosperous15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list