nodding

/ˈnɑdɪŋ/

//ˈnɑdɪŋ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“nodding” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,748. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,748
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of nod

Corpus desk

Index EN-nodding · nodding · English

nodding · rank #22,748 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,748
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mustafa

Nearest frequency peer: Mustafa (-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 “nodding”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “nodding” 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).

nodding vs noting
71% similar
nodding vs nothing
71% similar
nodding vs nudging
71% similar

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

Key facts for nodding
PropertyValue
Headwordnodding
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈnɑdɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,748
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “nodding”

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).noddinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Mustafa” (#22,747), “nonexistent” (#22,749), “notoriety” (#22,750). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nodding” is #22,748. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around nodding (IPA /ˈnɑdɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,748 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of nod".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nodding, with forms such as "ndoding", "nnodding", and "noddign". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "noting", "nothing", "nudging", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is nodding, spelled N-O-D-D-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of nod

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ndoding
  • nnodding
  • noddign
  • noddingg
  • noddinng
  • noddnig
  • nodidng
  • noding
  • ondding

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ndoding2nnodding1noddign2noddingg1noddinng1noddnig2nodidng2noding1
Edit distance from "nodding"

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 "nodding"?
"nodding" is spelled N-O-D-D-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɑdɪŋ/.
What does "nodding" mean?
As a verb, "nodding" means: present participle and gerund of nod
What words are commonly confused with "nodding"?
"nodding" is commonly confused with "noting", "nothing", "nudging". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "nodding"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nodding" is /ˈnɑdɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "nodding" come from?
"nodding" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "nodding", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mustafa#22,747molding#22,743milking#22,739marbles#22,737

Similar misspelling depth

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

Milner9 variantsmillennia9 variantsLeland9 variantsKruger9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list