lengthening

Name: lengthening, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ/

//ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“lengthening” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,566. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,566
frequency rank, English: 2,297
“L” headwords: 18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of making or growing longer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lengthening · lengthening · English

lengthening · rank #34,566 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #34,566
LEN-MEGA 11 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 18 variants
BOOK-MID 2,297
PHOTO-FINISH legumes

Nearest frequency peer: legumes (-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.

leary

65,437
legumes

65,436
lengthening

65,435
Lenox

65,434
Lesotho

65,433
Levinson

65,432

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

Key facts for lengthening
Property	Value
Headword	lengthening
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#34,566
Misspellings tracked	18
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lengthening”

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

#34,566

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “legumes” (#34,565), “Lenox” (#34,567), “leary” (#34,564). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lengthening” is #34,566. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around lengthening (IPA /ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,566 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for lengthening, with forms such as "elngthening", "legnthening", and "lenggthening". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lengthen + -ing. The correct English form is lengthening, spelled L-E-N-G-T-H-E-N-I-N-G.

Definition

1
The process of making or growing longer.
2
a type of sound change when a sound (especially a vowel) lengthens

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how lengthening appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

This enabled an additional 15-20 containers to be carried per train, giving a 20% productivity gain, and was partly enabled by Network Rail completing the lengthening of loops on the route northwards from Southampton via Banbury.

Etymology

From lengthen + -ing.

This word in other languages

allongement(Français)Längung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

elngthening
legnthening
lenggthening
lenghtening
lengtehning
lengtheinng
lengthenign
lengtheningg
lengtheninng
lengthennig
lengthenning
lengthhening
lengthneing
lengtthening
lenngthening
lentghening
llengthening
lnegthening

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lengthening - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "lengthening"

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 "lengthening"?

"lengthening" is spelled L-E-N-G-T-H-E-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ/.

What does "lengthening" mean?

As a noun, "lengthening" means: The process of making or growing longer.

What are common misspellings of "lengthening"?

Common misspellings include "elngthening", "legnthening", "lenggthening", "lenghtening", "lengtehning". The correct spelling is "lengthening".

How do you pronounce "lengthening"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lengthening" is /ˈlɛŋ(k)θənɪŋ/. 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 "lengthening"?

From lengthen + -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 "lengthening", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

irregularly#34,548 numerically#34,612 Pentecostal#34,629 quicksilver#34,656

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

Loughborough18 variants internalized18 variants preconceived18 variants presumptuous18 variants