# opening

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,229

## Definitions
1. present participle and gerund of open

## Etymology
From Middle English openynge, openande, openand, from Old English openiende, from Proto-West Germanic *opanōndī, from Proto-Germanic *upanōndz, present participle of *upanōną (“to open”), equivalent to open + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian iepenjend, Dutch openend, German öffnend, Swedish öppnande, Icelandic opnandi.

## Easily confused with
- **owning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/opening-vs-owning)

## Common misspellings (10)
`oepning`, `opeinng`, `openign`, `openingg`, `openinng`, `opennig`, `openning`, `opneing`, `oppening`, `poening`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/opening