# leading

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈliːdɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,087

## Definitions
1. present participle and gerund of lead

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **leaving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-leaving)
- **letting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-letting)
- **loading** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-loading)
- **leaning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-leaning)
- **lending** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-lending)
- **leaking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-leaking)
- **leasing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-leasing)
- **leaping** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-leaping)
- **Lessing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-lessing)
- **loaning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-loaning)
- **learning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leading-vs-learning)
- **Laing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laing-vs-leading)
- **laying** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laying-vs-leading)
- **lacing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lacing-vs-leading)
- **landing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/landing-vs-leading)
- **leaching** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leaching-vs-leading)

## Common misspellings (10)
`elading`, `laeding`, `leadding`, `leadign`, `leadingg`, `leadinng`, `leadnig`, `leaidng`, `ledaing`, `lleading`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/leading