inkling
/ˈɪŋklɪŋ/
"inkling" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“inkling” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,867. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #32,867
- frequency rank, English
- 2,140
- “I” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Usually preceded by forms of to give: a slight hint, implication, or suggestion given., A vague idea about something.
Corpus desk
Index EN-inkling · inkling · English
inkling · rank #32,867 · 11 variants · 7 confusables
- FREQ-MID #32,867
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
- VAR-MID 11 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,140
- PHOTO-FINISH innuendo
Nearest frequency peer: innuendo (+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 “inkling”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- infra
infra
67,137 corpus weight
- infraction
infraction
67,136 corpus weight
- inkling
inkling
67,134 corpus weight
- innuendo
innuendo
67,133 corpus weight
- insecticide
insecticide
67,132 corpus weight
- instantaneo…
instantaneously
67,131 corpus weight
What this shows “inkling” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | inkling |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #32,867 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inkling”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around inkling (IPA /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,867 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for inkling, with forms such as "iknling", "inkilng", and "inkkling". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "inning", "inline", "idling", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ningkiling, nyngkiling (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), and then either: * possibly a variant of nikking, nyckyng (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), possibly from nikken (“to mark (a text) for correction (?)”) +… The correct English form is inkling, spelled I-N-K-L-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1Usually preceded by forms of to give: a slight hint, implication, or suggestion given., A vague idea about something.
- 2Often preceded by forms of to get or to have: an imprecise idea or slight knowledge of something; a suspicion.
- 3A desire, an inclination.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how inkling appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[T]he present recalled the past, robed in the memories of its thousand dark and damning deeds of ignorance and superstition, and gave inklings of a brighter and better future; [...]
You ought to know something of French habits, at your age. You must have read books that give an inkling of it.
Etymology
From Middle English ningkiling, nyngkiling (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), and then either: * possibly a variant of nikking, nyckyng (“hint, slight indication; mention, whisper”), possibly from nikken (“to mark (a text) for correction (?)”) + -ing, -inge (suffix forming gerunds from verbs); or * more likely from the rebracketing of an inklyng as a ninkiling, from Middle English inklen (“to mention (in a low voice); to tell (the truth)”) [and other forms] + -ing, -inge; inklen may be derived from inca, inke (“dread, fear; doubt; danger, risk (?)”), from Old English inca (“doubt, uncertainty; suspicion; fear; cause for complaint, grievance, grudge, ill-will, offence; quarrel; occasion, opportunity”), from Proto-Germanic *inkô (“ache; grief; regret”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eng-, *yenǵ- (“illness”). The English word would then be analysable as inkle + -ing. Sense 3 (“desire, inclination”) may have been influenced by incline (“to tend to believe or do something”) or French enclin (“inclined, prone”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- iknling
- inkilng
- inkkling
- inklign
- inklingg
- inklinng
- inklling
- inklnig
- inlking
- innkling
- nikling
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inkling - 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.
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 "inkling"?
What does "inkling" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "inkling"?
How do you pronounce "inkling"?
What is the origin of the word "inkling"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "inkling", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).