marking

/ˈmɑɹkɪŋ/

//ˈmɑɹkɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“marking” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,713. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,713
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-marking · marking · English

marking · rank #7,713 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,713
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mainland

Nearest frequency peer: mainland (-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 “marking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “marking” 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).

marking vs martin
71% similar
marking vs Marvin
57% similar
marking vs mating
71% similar

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

Key facts for marking
PropertyValue
Headwordmarking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑɹkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,713
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “marking”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).markinglands here:

#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 “mainland” (#7,712), “meditation” (#7,714), “locker” (#7,711). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “marking” is #7,713. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around marking (IPA /ˈmɑɹkɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,713 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for marking, with forms such as "amrking", "makring", and "marikng". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "martin", "Marvin", "mating", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English marking, merking, merkunge, from Old English mearcung, from Proto-West Germanic *markungu, equivalent to mark + -ing. The correct English form is marking, spelled M-A-R-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of marking.
  2. 2
    A mark.
  3. 3
    The characteristic colouration and patterning of an animal.
  4. 4
    A symbol or set of letters used to identify the type or identity of an object.
  5. 5
    Any configuration of a Petri net with a number of marks or tokens distributed across it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Seasiders equalised soon after when Gary Taylor-Fletcher made the most of slack marking to slot home.
  2. Social distancing principles form a part of the essential controls needed to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. [...] For example, measures such as signage and floor markings to provide physical separation will help.

Etymology

From Middle English marking, merking, merkunge, from Old English mearcung, from Proto-West Germanic *markungu, equivalent to mark + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrking
  • makring
  • marikng
  • markign
  • markingg
  • markinng
  • markking
  • marknig
  • marrking
  • mmarking
  • mraking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amrking2makring2marikng2markign2markingg1markinng1markking1marknig2
Edit distance from "marking"

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 "marking"?
"marking" is spelled M-A-R-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑɹkɪŋ/.
What does "marking" mean?
As a noun, "marking" means: The action of marking.
What words are commonly confused with "marking"?
"marking" is commonly confused with "martin", "Marvin", "mating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marking" is /ˈmɑɹkɪŋ/. 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 "marking"?
From Middle English marking, merking, merkunge, from Old English mearcung, from Proto-West Germanic *markungu, equivalent to mark + -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 "marking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

replies#7,732Finland#7,690rushing#7,736execute#7,687

Similar misspelling depth

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

relieved11 variantselevator11 variantsdistress11 variantsdenying11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list