flowing

/ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/

//ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“flowing” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,907 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,907
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - present participle and gerund of flow

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

flowing vs flown
71% similar
flowing vs flying
71% similar
flowing vs footing
71% similar

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

Key facts for flowing
PropertyValue
Headwordflowing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,907
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “flowing” 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). flowing 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 flowing is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,907 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "present participle and gerund of flow".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for flowing, with forms such as "fflowing", "fllowing", and "floiwng". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "flown", "flying", "footing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English flowyng; equivalent to flow + -ing. The correct English form is flowing, spelled F-L-O-W-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of flow

Etymology

From Middle English flowyng; equivalent to flow + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fflowing,fllowing,floiwng,flowign,flowingg,flowinng,flownig,flowwing,flwoing,folwing,lfowing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fflowing1fllowing1floiwng2flowign2flowingg1flowinng1flownig2flowwing1
Edit distance from "flowing"

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 "flowing"?
"flowing" is spelled F-L-O-W-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/.
What does "flowing" mean?
As a verb, "flowing" means: present participle and gerund of flow
What words are commonly confused with "flowing"?
"flowing" is commonly confused with "flown", "flying", "footing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "flowing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "flowing" is /ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/. 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 "flowing"?
From Middle English flowyng; equivalent to flow + -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.

Using “flowing”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-L-O-W-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfloʊ.ɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “flown” - see the side-by-side comparison. flowing vs flown
  • 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