gathering

/ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ/

//ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ// noun

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

"gathering" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gathering” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,675
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A meeting or get-together; a party or social function.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gathering · gathering · English

gathering · rank #4,675 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,675
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH garage

Nearest frequency peer: garage (-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 “gathering”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gathering” 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
Key facts for gathering
PropertyValue
Headwordgathering
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,675
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gathering”

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).gatheringlands 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 “garage” (#4,674), “guidelines” (#4,676), “gains” (#4,673). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gathering” is #4,675. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around gathering (IPA /ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,675 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for gathering, with forms such as "agthering", "gahtering", and "gatehring". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gadering, from Old English gaderung (“gathering, assembly”), equivalent to gather + -ing (verbal noun ending). The correct English form is gathering, spelled G-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A meeting or get-together; a party or social function.
  2. 2
    A group of people or things.
  3. 3
    A section, a group of bifolios, or sheets of paper, stacked together and folded in half.
  4. 4
    A charitable contribution; a collection.
  5. 5
    The collection of produce, items, goods, etc.; the practice of collecting food from nature.
  6. 6
    A tumor or boil suppurated or maturated; an abscess.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I met her at a gathering of engineers and scientists.
  2. a gathering of Catholics

Etymology

From Middle English gadering, from Old English gaderung (“gathering, assembly”), equivalent to gather + -ing (verbal noun ending).

This word in other languages

fiesta(Español)rencontre(Français)Zusammenkunft(Deutsch)encontro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agthering
  • gahtering
  • gatehring
  • gatheirng
  • gatherign
  • gatheringg
  • gatherinng
  • gathernig
  • gatherring
  • gathhering
  • gathreing
  • gatthering
  • ggathering
  • gtahering

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gathering - 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.

agthering2gahtering2gatehring2gatheirng2gatherign2gatheringg1gatherinng1gathernig2
Edit distance from "gathering"

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 "gathering"?
"gathering" is spelled G-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ/.
What does "gathering" mean?
As a noun, "gathering" means: A meeting or get-together; a party or social function.
What are common misspellings of "gathering"?
Common misspellings include "agthering", "gahtering", "gatehring", "gatheirng", "gatherign". The correct spelling is "gathering".
How do you pronounce "gathering"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gathering" is /ˈɡæð.ə.ɹɪŋ/. 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 "gathering"?
From Middle English gadering, from Old English gaderung (“gathering, assembly”), equivalent to gather + -ing (verbal noun ending). 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 "gathering", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Indonesia#4,680inspector#4,682recovered#4,706virtually#4,641

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

guidelines14 variantsboundaries14 variantsaccompanied14 variantssuggesting14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list