# living

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ · frequency rank #503

## Definitions
1. present participle of live

## Etymology
From Middle English livynge, libbyng, livinde, livand, livende, libbinde, libbende, from Old English lifiġende, lifiende, libbende, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjandī, from Proto-Germanic *libjandz (“living”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”), equivalent to live + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian libbend (“living”), Dutch levend (“living”), German lebend (“living”), Swedish levande (“living”), Icelandic lifandi (“living”).

## Easily confused with
- **lying** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-lying)
- **Lovin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-lovin)
- **losing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-losing)
- **loving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-loving)
- **luring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-luring)
- **loring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/living-vs-loring)
- **levin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/levin-vs-living)
- **livin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/livin-vs-living)
- **liang** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liang-vs-living)
- **livid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/livid-vs-living)
- **Laing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laing-vs-living)
- **Livia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/livia-vs-living)
- **liven** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-living)
- **laying** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/laying-vs-living)
- **liking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liking-vs-living)
- **lining** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lining-vs-living)
- **Levine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/levine-vs-living)
- **lacing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lacing-vs-living)
- **leaving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leaving-vs-living)
- **listing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/listing-vs-living)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ilving`, `liivng`, `livign`, `livingg`, `livinng`, `livnig`, `livving`, `lliving`, `lviing`

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