meddling

noun

"meddling" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meddling” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,644 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,644
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - unwanted interference

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

meddling vs mending
75% similar
meddling vs modeling
75% similar
meddling vs middling
88% similar

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

Key facts for meddling
PropertyValue
Headwordmeddling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#19,644
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “meddling” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). meddling lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for meddling is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #19,644 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for meddling, with forms such as "emddling", "mdedling", and "meddilng". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "mending", "modeling", "middling", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is meddling, spelled M-E-D-D-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    unwanted interference
  2. 2
    An instance of meddling.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emddling,mdedling,meddilng,meddlign,meddlingg,meddlinng,meddlling,meddlnig,medlding,medling,mmeddling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emddling2mdedling2meddilng2meddlign2meddlingg1meddlinng1meddlling1meddlnig2
Edit distance from "meddling"

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 "meddling"?
"meddling" is spelled M-E-D-D-L-I-N-G.
What does "meddling" mean?
As a noun, "meddling" means: unwanted interference
What words are commonly confused with "meddling"?
"meddling" is commonly confused with "mending", "modeling", "middling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "meddling" come from?
"meddling" 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.

Using “meddling”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-D-D-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “mending” - see the side-by-side comparison. meddling vs mending
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list