footing

/ˈfʊtɪŋ/

//ˈfʊtɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“footing” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,947. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,947
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ground for the foot; place for the foot to rest on; firm foundation to stand on.

Corpus desk

Index EN-footing · footing · English

footing · rank #14,947 · 10 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,947
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foley

Nearest frequency peer: foley (-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 “footing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “footing” 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).

footing vs forcing
71% similar
footing vs forming
71% similar
footing vs forging
71% similar

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

Key facts for footing
PropertyValue
Headwordfooting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfʊtɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,947
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “footing”

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).footinglands 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 “foley” (#14,946), “Fulton” (#14,948), “garments” (#14,949). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “footing” is #14,947. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around footing (IPA /ˈfʊtɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,947 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for footing, with forms such as "ffooting", "fooitng", and "footign". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "forcing", "forming", "forging", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fotyng; equivalent to foot + -ing. The correct English form is footing, spelled F-O-O-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ground for the foot; place for the foot to rest on; firm foundation to stand on.
  2. 2
    A standing; position; established place; foothold.
  3. 3
    A relative condition; state.
  4. 4
    A tread; step; especially, a measured tread.
  5. 5
    A footprint or footprints; tracks, someone's trail.
  6. 6
    Stability or balance when standing on one's feet.
  7. 7
    The act of adding up a column of figures; the amount or sum total of such a column.
  8. 8
    The act of putting a foot to anything; also, that which is added as a foot
  9. 9
    A narrow cotton lace, without figures.
  10. 10
    The finer refuse part of whale blubber, not wholly deprived of oil.
  11. 11
    The thickened or sloping portion of a wall, or of an embankment at its foot; foundation.
  12. 12
    A double-check of the numbers vertically.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In ascents, every step gained is a footing and help to the next.
  2. As soon, however, as he had obtained a footing at court, the charms of his manner […] made him a favorite.

Etymology

From Middle English fotyng; equivalent to foot + -ing.

This word in other languages

Halt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffooting
  • fooitng
  • footign
  • footingg
  • footinng
  • footnig
  • footting
  • foting
  • fotoing
  • ofoting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffooting1fooitng2footign2footingg1footinng1footnig2footting1foting1
Edit distance from "footing"

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 "footing"?
"footing" is spelled F-O-O-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfʊtɪŋ/.
What does "footing" mean?
As a noun, "footing" means: A ground for the foot; place for the foot to rest on; firm foundation to stand on.
What words are commonly confused with "footing"?
"footing" is commonly confused with "forcing", "forming", "forging". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "footing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "footing" is /ˈfʊtɪŋ/. 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 "footing"?
From Middle English fotyng; equivalent to foot + -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 "footing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

handler#14,953diocese#14,936despise#14,934decency#14,932

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

clueless10 variantsclowns10 variantsJurassic10 variantsbroccoli10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list