icing

/ˈaɪsɪŋ/

//ˈaɪsɪŋ// noun

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

"icing" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“icing” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,191 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,191
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

icing vs icon
60% similar
icing vs Irina
40% similar
icing vs inning
67% similar

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

Key facts for icing
PropertyValue
Headwordicing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪsɪŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,191
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “icing” 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). icing 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 icing is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈaɪsɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,191 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for icing, with forms such as "ciing", "iccing", and "icign". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "icon", "Irina", "inning", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Gerund of the verb to ice. The correct English form is icing, spelled I-C-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods.
  2. 2
    A minor violation of ice hockey rules, occurring when a player shoots the puck from his/her side of the red line so that it crosses the goal line on the opponent's side. A team playing short-handed is not penalized for this.
  3. 3
    The process of forming a layer of ice on a surface.
  4. 4
    Conditions conducive to the formation of ice on aircraft surfaces.

Etymology

Gerund of the verb to ice.

This word in other languages

glaseado(Español)glaçage(Français)Zuckerguss(Deutsch)glacê(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ciing,iccing,icign,icingg,icinng,icnig,iicng

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ciing2iccing1icign2icingg1icinng1icnig2iicng2
Edit distance from "icing"

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 "icing"?
"icing" is spelled I-C-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪsɪŋ/.
What does "icing" mean?
As a noun, "icing" means: A sweet, often creamy and thick glaze made primarily of sugar, often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, or flavorings, typically used for baked goods.
What words are commonly confused with "icing"?
"icing" is commonly confused with "icon", "Irina", "inning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "icing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "icing" is /ˈaɪsɪŋ/. 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 "icing"?
Gerund of the verb to ice. 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.

Using “icing”

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

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