sampling

/ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/

//ˈsæmpəlɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“sampling” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,442 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,442
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - present participle and gerund of sample

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sampling vs smiling
75% similar
sampling vs stamping
75% similar
sampling vs sailing
75% similar

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

Key facts for sampling
PropertyValue
Headwordsampling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,442
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sampling” sits in English frequency

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

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sampling is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,442 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "present participle and gerund of sample".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for sampling, with forms such as "asmpling", "samlping", and "sammpling". 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, "smiling", "stamping", "sailing", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is sampling, spelled S-A-M-P-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of sample

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asmpling,samlping,sammpling,sampilng,samplign,samplingg,samplinng,samplling,samplnig,samppling,sapmling,smapling,ssampling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asmpling2samlping2sammpling1sampilng2samplign2samplingg1samplinng1samplling1
Edit distance from "sampling"

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 "sampling"?
"sampling" is spelled S-A-M-P-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/.
What does "sampling" mean?
As a verb, "sampling" means: present participle and gerund of sample
What words are commonly confused with "sampling"?
"sampling" is commonly confused with "smiling", "stamping", "sailing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sampling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sampling" is /ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sampling" come from?
"sampling" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “sampling”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-M-P-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “smiling” - see the side-by-side comparison. sampling vs smiling
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list