fondling
/ˈfɒndlɪŋ/
"fondling" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fondling” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,925. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #49,925
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A foolish person.
Corpus desk
Index EN-fondling · fondling · English
fondling · rank #49,925 · 13 variants · 7 confusables
- FREQ-MID #49,925
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
- VAR-HIGH 13 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH FOMO
Nearest frequency peer: FOMO (-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 “fondling”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- flail
flail
50,080 corpus weight
- flaked
flaked
50,079 corpus weight
- foh
foh
50,078 corpus weight
- FOMO
FOMO
50,077 corpus weight
- fondling
fondling
50,076 corpus weight
- freakish
freakish
50,073 corpus weight
What this shows “fondling” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fondling |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfɒndlɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #49,925 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fondling”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 13 spelling variants around fondling (IPA /ˈfɒndlɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,925 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for fondling, with forms such as "ffondling", "fnodling", and "fodnling". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "funding", "fooling", "fouling", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From fond + -ling. The correct English form is fondling, spelled F-O-N-D-L-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1A foolish person.
- 2A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how fondling appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned, / To some hid end to make more easie way, / Or to allure such fondlings whom she trayned / Into her trap […].
'How can you say I am harsh, you naughty fondling?' cried the mistress, amazed at the unreasonable assertion.
Etymology
From fond + -ling.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ffondling
- fnodling
- fodnling
- fonddling
- fondilng
- fondlign
- fondlingg
- fondlinng
- fondlling
- fondlnig
- fonlding
- fonndling
- ofndling
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fondling - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fondling", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).