outlying

adj

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

The verdict

“outlying” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,540
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relatively remote from some central location.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outlying · outlying · English

outlying · rank #26,540 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,540
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outlandish

Nearest frequency peer: outlandish (-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 “outlying”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “outlying” 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).

outlying vs outing
75% similar
outlying vs outline
75% similar
outlying vs outgoing
75% similar

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

Key facts for outlying
PropertyValue
Headwordoutlying
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#26,540
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “outlying”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “outlandish” (#26,539), “oxidative” (#26,541), “pacifist” (#26,542). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outlying” is #26,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around outlying, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,540 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for outlying, with forms such as "otulying", "oultying", and "outliyng". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "outing", "outline", "outgoing", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From outlie (Etymology 2) + -ing. The correct English form is outlying, spelled O-U-T-L-Y-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relatively remote from some central location.
  2. 2
    Located outside of some boundary or limit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The more outlying villages were never visited by their member of parliament.
  2. During the first year or so of British Railways, some of the simpler and more obvious inter-regional transfers of outlying sections were effected, such as those of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway from the London Midland Region to the Eastern Region; the South Wales lines of the former L.M.S.R. to the Western Region; the Carlisle-Silloth branch (an…

Etymology

From outlie (Etymology 2) + -ing.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otulying
  • oultying
  • outliyng
  • outllying
  • outlyign
  • outlyingg
  • outlyinng
  • outlynig
  • outlyying
  • outtlying
  • outyling
  • uotlying

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of outlying - 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.

otulying2oultying2outliyng2outllying1outlyign2outlyingg1outlyinng1outlynig2
Edit distance from "outlying"

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 "outlying"?
"outlying" is spelled O-U-T-L-Y-I-N-G.
What does "outlying" mean?
As an adjective, "outlying" means: Relatively remote from some central location.
What words are commonly confused with "outlying"?
"outlying" is commonly confused with "outing", "outline", "outgoing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "outlying"?
From outlie (Etymology 2) + -ing. 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 "outlying", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list