keeling

noun

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

The verdict

“keeling” is uncommon English (frequency #56,214 among 9,255 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,214
frequency rank, English
9,255
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cod, especially a small one.

Key facts for keeling
PropertyValue
Headwordkeeling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#56,214
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “keeling” 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). keeling lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

keeling is uncommon English at frequency #56,214 among 9,255 “K” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A cod, especially a small one.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for keeling, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Compare Icelandic keila, Swedish kolja, Danish kulle. The correct English form is keeling, spelled K-E-E-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cod, especially a small one.

Etymology

Compare Icelandic keila, Swedish kolja, Danish kulle.

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 "keeling"?
"keeling" is spelled K-E-E-L-I-N-G.
What does "keeling" mean?
As a noun, "keeling" means: A cod, especially a small one.
What is the origin of the word "keeling"?
Compare Icelandic keila, Swedish kolja, Danish kulle. 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 “keeling”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is K-E-E-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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