hailing

/ˈheɪlɪŋ/

//ˈheɪlɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“hailing” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,853 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#23,853
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hailing vs having
71% similar
hailing vs hiding
71% similar
hailing vs hiring
71% similar

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

Key facts for hailing
PropertyValue
Headwordhailing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈheɪlɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,853
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hailing” 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). hailing 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 hailing is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈheɪlɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,853 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "present participle and gerund of hail".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for hailing, with forms such as "ahiling", "haiilng", and "hailign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "having", "hiding", "hiring", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is hailing, spelled H-A-I-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of hail

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahiling,haiilng,hailign,hailingg,hailinng,hailling,hailnig,haliing,hhailing,hialing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hailing - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahiling2haiilng2hailign2hailingg1hailinng1hailling1hailnig2haliing2
Edit distance from "hailing"

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 "hailing"?
"hailing" is spelled H-A-I-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈheɪlɪŋ/.
What does "hailing" mean?
As a verb, "hailing" means: present participle and gerund of hail
What words are commonly confused with "hailing"?
"hailing" is commonly confused with "having", "hiding", "hiring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hailing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hailing" is /ˈheɪlɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hailing" come from?
"hailing" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “hailing”

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

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