leading
lead·ing/ˈlidɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
leading is spelled L-E-A-D-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables (lead·ing). It appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, leading means “Providing guidance or direction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in leading?
| Letters | 7: L-E-A-D-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: lead·ing |
| In writing | 100 times per million words; the 1,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is leading?
Leading appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce leading?
- UK /ˈliːdɪŋ/
- US /ˈlidɪŋ/
As a noun (“Vertical space added between lines; line spacing”): /ˈlɛdɪŋ/.
Leading has 2 syllables, split lead·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-leading.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with leading?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as leading (/idɪŋ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: dealing, aligned.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of leading
- leadings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does leading mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Providing guidance or direction.
Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
- 2
Ranking first.
He is a leading supplier of plumbing supplies in the county.
- 3
Occurring in advance; preceding.
The stock market can be a leading economic indicator.
noun
- 1
An act by which one is led or guided.
- 2
archaicCommand of an army or military unit.
- 3
Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of lead
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Leading in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | führend , vorangehend, vorausgehend , Zeilenabstand, Interlinea, Zeilendurchschuss |
| Spanish | principal , entrelínea |
| French | interligne |
| Portuguese | entrelinha, espaçamento entre linhas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does leading come from?
From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).