laughing

/ˈlɑːfɪŋ/

//ˈlɑːfɪŋ// noun

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

"laughing" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laughing” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,452. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,452
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - verbal noun of laugh: the action of the verb to laugh.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laughing · laughing · English

laughing · rank #2,452 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,452
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH largely

Nearest frequency peer: largely (-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 “laughing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “laughing” 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).

laughing vs lugging
75% similar
laughing vs launching
78% similar
laughing vs lagging
75% similar

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

Key facts for laughing
PropertyValue
Headwordlaughing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɑːfɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,452
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “laughing”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).laughinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “largely” (#2,451), “markets” (#2,453), “Jewish” (#2,450). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laughing” is #2,452. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around laughing (IPA /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,452 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "verbal noun of laugh: the action of the verb to laugh.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for laughing, with forms such as "alughing", "laguhing", and "laugghing". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "lugging", "launching", "lagging", 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 lawghynge; equivalent to laugh + -ing. The correct English form is laughing, spelled L-A-U-G-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    verbal noun of laugh: the action of the verb to laugh.

Etymology

From Middle English lawghynge; equivalent to laugh + -ing.

This word in other languages

Lachen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alughing
  • laguhing
  • laugghing
  • laughhing
  • laughign
  • laughingg
  • laughinng
  • laughnig
  • laugihng
  • lauhging
  • llaughing
  • luaghing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alughing2laguhing2laugghing1laughhing1laughign2laughingg1laughinng1laughnig2
Edit distance from "laughing"

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 "laughing"?
"laughing" is spelled L-A-U-G-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/.
What does "laughing" mean?
As a noun, "laughing" means: verbal noun of laugh: the action of the verb to laugh.
What words are commonly confused with "laughing"?
"laughing" is commonly confused with "lugging", "launching", "lagging". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "laughing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laughing" is /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/. 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 "laughing"?
From Middle English lawghynge; equivalent to laugh + -ing. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "laughing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

improved#2,449hundreds#2,447referred#2,460relevant#2,461

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

recommend12 variantscustomer12 variantsdirected12 variantsfacility12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list