loving

/ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/

//ˈlʌv.ɪŋ// noun

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

"loving" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loving” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,179. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,179
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of the verb to love.

Corpus desk

Index EN-loving · loving · English

loving · rank #3,179 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,179
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH limits

Nearest frequency peer: limits (-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 “loving”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “loving” 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).

loving vs lying
67% similar
loving vs luring
67% similar
loving vs lovingly
75% similar

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

Key facts for loving
PropertyValue
Headwordloving
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,179
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “loving”

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).lovinglands 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 “limits” (#3,178), “lesson” (#3,177), “killer” (#3,176). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “loving” is #3,179. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around loving (IPA /ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,179 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The action of the verb to love.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for loving, with forms such as "lloving", "loivng", and "lovign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lying", "luring", "lovingly", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English lovyng(e) (“love”), inherited from Old English lufung. By surface analysis, love + -ing. The correct English form is loving, spelled L-O-V-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of the verb to love.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. all natural lovings and longings

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English lovyng(e) (“love”), inherited from Old English lufung. By surface analysis, love + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lloving
  • loivng
  • lovign
  • lovingg
  • lovinng
  • lovnig
  • lovving
  • lvoing
  • olving

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lloving1loivng2lovign2lovingg1lovinng1lovnig2lovving1lvoing2
Edit distance from "loving"

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 "loving"?
"loving" is spelled L-O-V-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/.
What does "loving" mean?
As a noun, "loving" means: The action of the verb to love.
What words are commonly confused with "loving"?
"loving" is commonly confused with "lying", "luring", "lovingly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "loving"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loving" is /ˈlʌv.ɪŋ/. 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 "loving"?
Inherited from Middle English lovyng(e) (“love”), inherited from Old English lufung. By surface analysis, love + -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 "loving", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

limits#3,178lesson#3,177killer#3,176mirror#3,184

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

format9 variantsrolling9 variantsextent9 variantsdefend9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list