hulking

/ˈhʌlkɪŋ/

//ˈhʌlkɪŋ// adj

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

The verdict

“hulking” is uncommon English (frequency #53,005 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,005
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Large and bulky, heavily built; massive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hulking · hulking · English

hulking · rank #53,005 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,005
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hortense

Nearest frequency peer: Hortense (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “hulking”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hulking” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hulking
PropertyValue
Headwordhulking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhʌlkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#53,005
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hulking” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hulkingfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Hortense” (#53,003), “horseracing” (#53,002), “hypnotist” (#53,008). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hulking” is #53,005. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hulking is uncommon English at frequency #53,005 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈhʌlkɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hulking, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hulk + -ing. The correct English form is hulking, spelled H-U-L-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Large and bulky, heavily built; massive.
  2. 2
    Unwieldy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A hulking shape burst through the doorway and hurtled down the corridor, leaving a maelstrom of air currents in his wake.

Etymology

From hulk + -ing.

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 "hulking"?
"hulking" is spelled H-U-L-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌlkɪŋ/.
What does "hulking" mean?
As an adjective, "hulking" means: Large and bulky, heavily built; massive.
How do you pronounce "hulking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hulking" is /ˈhʌlkɪŋ/. 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 "hulking"?
From hulk + -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 "hulking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list