sighing

/ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ/

//ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sighing” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,285. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,285
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Accompanied by or uttered with a sigh.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sighing · sighing · English

sighing · rank #34,285 · 11 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,285
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sifting

Nearest frequency peer: sifting (-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 “sighing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sighing” 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).

sighing vs sizing
71% similar
sighing vs siting
71% similar
sighing vs sitting
71% similar

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

Key facts for sighing
PropertyValue
Headwordsighing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,285
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sighing”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sifting” (#34,284), “Sina” (#34,286), “sheng” (#34,283). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sighing” is #34,285. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sighing (IPA /ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #34,285 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Accompanied by or uttered with a sigh.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sighing, with forms such as "isghing", "sgihing", and "sigghing". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "sizing", "siting", "sitting", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English sighynge. By surface analysis, sigh + -ing. The correct English form is sighing, spelled S-I-G-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accompanied by or uttered with a sigh.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sighynge. By surface analysis, sigh + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isghing
  • sgihing
  • sigghing
  • sighhing
  • sighign
  • sighingg
  • sighinng
  • sighnig
  • sigihng
  • sihging
  • ssighing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sighing - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

isghing2sgihing2sigghing1sighhing1sighign2sighingg1sighinng1sighnig2
Edit distance from "sighing"

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 "sighing"?
"sighing" is spelled S-I-G-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ/.
What does "sighing" mean?
As an adjective, "sighing" means: Accompanied by or uttered with a sigh.
What words are commonly confused with "sighing"?
"sighing" is commonly confused with "sizing", "siting", "sitting". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sighing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sighing" is /ˈsaɪ̯.ɪŋ/. 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 "sighing"?
Inherited from Middle English sighynge. By surface analysis, sigh + -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 "sighing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sifting#34,284scorned#34,275spousal#34,298risotto#34,266

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

rescind11 variantsSánchez11 variantsRadford11 variantstriples11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list