linking

/ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/

//ˈlɪŋkɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“linking” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,578. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,578
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Serving to connect other things together.

Corpus desk

Index EN-linking · linking · English

linking · rank #7,578 · 11 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,578
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lightly

Nearest frequency peer: lightly (-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 “linking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “linking” 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).

linking vs living
71% similar
linking vs looking
71% similar
linking vs listing
71% similar

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

Key facts for linking
PropertyValue
Headwordlinking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,578
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “linking”

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).linkinglands 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 “lightly” (#7,577), “lectures” (#7,576), “marble” (#7,580). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “linking” is #7,578. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around linking (IPA /ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,578 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Serving to connect other things together.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for linking, with forms such as "ilnking", "likning", and "linikng". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "living", "looking", "listing", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is linking, spelled L-I-N-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Serving to connect other things together.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Conjunctions frequently function as linking words in a sentence.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilnking
  • likning
  • linikng
  • linkign
  • linkingg
  • linkinng
  • linkking
  • linknig
  • linnking
  • llinking
  • lniking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilnking2likning2linikng2linkign2linkingg1linkinng1linkking1linknig2
Edit distance from "linking"

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 "linking"?
"linking" is spelled L-I-N-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/.
What does "linking" mean?
As an adjective, "linking" means: Serving to connect other things together.
What words are commonly confused with "linking"?
"linking" is commonly confused with "living", "looking", "listing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "linking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "linking" is /ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "linking" come from?
"linking" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "linking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lightly#7,577nominee#7,586preview#7,596enforce#7,559

Similar misspelling depth

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

maritime11 variantsdeceased11 variantsscholar11 variantscommands11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list