indulging

/ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/

//ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“indulging” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,098. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,098
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

indulging vs insulting
78% similar
indulging vs inducing
78% similar
indulging vs indulgent
78% similar

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

Key facts for indulging
PropertyValue
Headwordindulging
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,098
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “indulging” 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). indulging lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around indulging (IPA /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,098 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of indulge".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for indulging, with forms such as "idnulging", "inddulging", and "indluging". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "insulting", "inducing", "indulgent", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is indulging, spelled I-N-D-U-L-G-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of indulge

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnulging
  • inddulging
  • indluging
  • indugling
  • indulgging
  • indulgign
  • indulgingg
  • indulginng
  • indulgnig
  • induligng
  • indullging
  • inndulging
  • inudlging
  • nidulging

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

idnulging2inddulging1indluging2indugling2indulgging1indulgign2indulgingg1indulginng1
Edit distance from "indulging"

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 "indulging"?
"indulging" is spelled I-N-D-U-L-G-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/.
What does "indulging" mean?
As a verb, "indulging" means: present participle and gerund of indulge
What words are commonly confused with "indulging"?
"indulging" is commonly confused with "insulting", "inducing", "indulgent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indulging"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indulging" is /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "indulging" come from?
"indulging" 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 “indulging”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-U-L-G-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “insulting” - see the side-by-side comparison. indulging vs insulting
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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