ming

/mɪŋ/

//mɪŋ// verb

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

"ming" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ming” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,168. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,168
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To mix, blend, mingle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ming · ming · English

ming · rank #14,168 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,168
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH misuse

Nearest frequency peer: misuse (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ming”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ming” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

ming vs MN
0% similar
ming vs mix
50% similar
ming vs mon
50% similar

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

Key facts for ming
PropertyValue
Headwordming
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mɪŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#14,168
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ming” sits in English frequency

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).ming lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around ming (IPA /mɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,168 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ming, with forms such as "imng", "mign", and "mingg". 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, "MN", "mix", "mon", 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 mingen, mengen, from Old English mengan (“to mix, combine, unite, associate with, consort, cohabit with, disturb, converse”), from Proto-West Germanic *mangijan (“to mix, knead”), from Proto-Indo-European *menk- (“to rumple, knead”). Cog… The correct English form is ming, spelled M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    To mix, blend, mingle.
  2. 2
    To bring (people, animals etc.) together; to be joined, in marriage or sexual intercourse.
  3. 3
    To produce through mixing; especially, to knead.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I founde here and there litle peces of marquesites and stones, menged with copper, but I could by no sense or wit perceyue, that the bathes had any notable qualitie thereof.
  2. the old man [...] him brought into a secret part, / Where that false couple were full closely ment / In wanton lust and lewd embracement [...].

Etymology

From Middle English mingen, mengen, from Old English mengan (“to mix, combine, unite, associate with, consort, cohabit with, disturb, converse”), from Proto-West Germanic *mangijan (“to mix, knead”), from Proto-Indo-European *menk- (“to rumple, knead”). Cognate with Dutch mengen (“to mix, blend, mingle”), German mengen (“to mix”), Danish mænge (“to rub”), Old English ġemang (“mixture, union, troop, crowd, multitude, congregation, assembly, business, cohabitation”). More at among.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imng
  • mign
  • mingg
  • minng
  • mming
  • mnig

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imng2mign2mingg1minng1mming1mnig2
Edit distance from "ming"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ming"?
"ming" is spelled M-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪŋ/.
What does "ming" mean?
As a verb, "ming" means: To mix, blend, mingle.
What words are commonly confused with "ming"?
"ming" is commonly confused with "MN", "mix", "mon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ming"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ming" is /mɪŋ/. 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 "ming"?
From Middle English mingen, mengen, from Old English mengan (“to mix, combine, unite, associate with, consort, cohabit with, disturb, converse”), from Proto-West Germanic *mangijan (“to mix, knead”), from Proto-Indo-European *menk- (“to rumple, kn... 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 "ming", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mona#14,171nana#14,174Levi#14,159lest#14,158

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sect6 variantsdunk6 variantsSonia6 variantsdolly6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "ming". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ming" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "MN". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #14,168 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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