lacking

/ˈlækɪŋ/

//ˈlækɪŋ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“lacking” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,260
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of lack

Corpus desk

Index EN-lacking · lacking · English

lacking · rank #6,260 · 11 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,260
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH labels

Nearest frequency peer: labels (-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 “lacking”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “lacking” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

lacking vs Laing
57% similar
lacking vs laying
71% similar
lacking vs liking
71% similar

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

Key facts for lacking
PropertyValue
Headwordlacking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈlækɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,260
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lacking”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “labels” (#6,259), “layout” (#6,262), “lined” (#6,263). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lacking” is #6,260. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around lacking (IPA /ˈlækɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,260 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of lack".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for lacking, with forms such as "alcking", "laccking", and "lacikng". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Laing", "laying", "liking", and more, 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 best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is lacking, spelled L-A-C-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of lack

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alcking
  • laccking
  • lacikng
  • lackign
  • lackingg
  • lackinng
  • lackking
  • lacknig
  • lakcing
  • lcaking
  • llacking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alcking2laccking1lacikng2lackign2lackingg1lackinng1lackking1lacknig2
Edit distance from "lacking"

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 "lacking"?
"lacking" is spelled L-A-C-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlækɪŋ/.
What does "lacking" mean?
As a verb, "lacking" means: present participle and gerund of lack
What words are commonly confused with "lacking"?
"lacking" is commonly confused with "Laing", "laying", "liking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lacking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lacking" is /ˈlækɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lacking" come from?
"lacking" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "lacking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

focuses#6,244fathers#6,243pockets#6,281predict#6,283

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

glorious11 variantsfabulous11 variantspressing11 variantsdiameter11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list