# longing

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈlɒŋɪŋ/ · frequency rank #14,989

## Definitions
1. present participle and gerund of long

## Etymology
From Middle English longynge, langynge, langand, from Old English langiende, from Proto-Germanic *langōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (present participle ending).

## Easily confused with
- **losing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-losing)
- **loving** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-loving)
- **loring** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-loring)
- **looking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-looking)
- **looting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-looting)
- **looming** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-looming)
- **looping** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-looping)
- **lugging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-lugging)
- **lounging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/longing-vs-lounging)
- **login** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/login-vs-longing)
- **lining** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lining-vs-longing)
- **landing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/landing-vs-longing)
- **loading** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loading-vs-longing)
- **linking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/linking-vs-longing)
- **lending** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lending-vs-longing)
- **locking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/locking-vs-longing)
- **logging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/logging-vs-longing)
- **lodging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lodging-vs-longing)
- **Lansing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lansing-vs-longing)
- **lagging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lagging-vs-longing)

## Common misspellings (11)
`llonging`, `lnoging`, `logning`, `longging`, `longign`, `longingg`, `longinng`, `longnig`, `lonigng`, `lonnging`, `olnging`

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