sing

/sɪŋ/

//sɪŋ// verb

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

"sing" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sing” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,810 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,810
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sing vs six
50% similar
sing vs son
50% similar
sing vs sir
50% similar

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

Key facts for sing
PropertyValue
Headwordsing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/sɪŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,810
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sing” 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). sing 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 sing is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,810 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for sing, with forms such as "isng", "singg", and "sinng". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "six", "son", "sir", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Fri… The correct English form is sing, spelled S-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice.
  2. 2
    To perform a vocal part in a musical composition, regardless of technique.
  3. 3
    To express audibly by means of a harmonious vocalization.
  4. 4
    To soothe with singing.
  5. 5
    Of birds, to vocalise:
  6. 6
    Of birds, to vocalise:
  7. 7
    To confess under interrogation.
  8. 8
    To make a small, shrill sound.
  9. 9
    To relate in verse; to celebrate in poetry.
  10. 10
    To display fine qualities; to stand out as excellent.
  11. 11
    To be capable of being sung; to produce a certain effect by being sung.
  12. 12
    In traditional Aboriginal culture, to direct a supernatural influence on (a person or thing), usually malign; to curse.
  13. 13
    To yell or shout.

Etymology

From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”).

Synonyms

sing

Antonyms

lip-synclip syncmimemouth

This word in other languages

cantar(Español)chanter(Français)singen(Deutsch)cantar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: isng,singg,sinng,snig,ssing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isng2singg1sinng1snig2ssing1
Edit distance from "sing"

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 "sing"?
"sing" is spelled S-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪŋ/.
What does "sing" mean?
As a verb, "sing" means: To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice.
What words are commonly confused with "sing"?
"sing" is commonly confused with "six", "son", "sir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sing" is /sɪŋ/. 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 "sing"?
From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”)... 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.

Using “sing”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “six” - see the side-by-side comparison. sing vs six
  • 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