middling

/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/

//ˈmɪdlɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“middling” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,250. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,250
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.

Corpus desk

Index EN-middling · middling · English

middling · rank #36,250 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,250
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH millionth

Nearest frequency peer: millionth (+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 “middling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “middling” 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).

middling vs milling
75% similar
middling vs minding
75% similar
middling vs midline
75% similar

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

Key facts for middling
PropertyValue
Headwordmiddling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,250
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “middling”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).middlinglands 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 “millionth” (#36,251), “Micheal” (#36,248), “mercurial” (#36,247). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “middling” is #36,250. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around middling (IPA /ˈmɪdlɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #36,250 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for middling, with forms such as "imddling", "mdidling", and "middilng". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "milling", "minding", "midline", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is probably from middle (noun) + -ing; the adjective is most likely derived from the noun, and the adverb from the adjective. The correct English form is middling, spelled M-I-D-D-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.
  2. 2
    In fairly good health.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The football team is never the worst or best in its league; its position is always middling.
  2. […] I cannot think it unreaſonable, […] to imagin the ſame natural cauſes may ſometimes act in t'other extreme likewiſe, and model Humane Bodies from a peculiar Energy in the ſeminal Principles, or a more perfect and through concoction in the Stomach, and other Viſcera, whence may proceed a peculiar and extraordinary nutritive faculty in the humours, for…

Etymology

The noun is probably from middle (noun) + -ing; the adjective is most likely derived from the noun, and the adverb from the adjective.

Synonyms

averagemediumunexceptional

This word in other languages

medial(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imddling
  • mdidling
  • middilng
  • middlign
  • middlingg
  • middlinng
  • middlling
  • middlnig
  • midlding
  • midling
  • mmiddling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of middling - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imddling2mdidling2middilng2middlign2middlingg1middlinng1middlling1middlnig2
Edit distance from "middling"

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 "middling"?
"middling" is spelled M-I-D-D-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪdlɪŋ/.
What does "middling" mean?
As an adjective, "middling" means: Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.
What words are commonly confused with "middling"?
"middling" is commonly confused with "milling", "minding", "midline". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "middling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "middling" is /ˈmɪdlɪŋ/. 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 "middling"?
The noun is probably from middle (noun) + -ing; the adjective is most likely derived from the noun, and the adverb from the adjective. 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 "middling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

marquess#36,241Malhotra#36,235outgrown#36,268overdone#36,270

Similar misspelling depth

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

overreact11 variantsLakshmi11 variantsisthmus11 variantsHogarth11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list