sinking

/ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/

//ˈsɪŋkɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sinking” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,251. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,251
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - gerund of sink: the process by which something sinks, or is sunk.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sinking · sinking · English

sinking · rank #9,251 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,251
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH simpler

Nearest frequency peer: simpler (-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 “sinking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sinking” 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).

sinking vs sizing
71% similar
sinking vs siting
71% similar
sinking vs sitting
71% similar

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

Key facts for sinking
PropertyValue
Headwordsinking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,251
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sinking”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “simpler” (#9,250), “sickness” (#9,249), “sorted” (#9,253). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sinking” is #9,251. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sinking (IPA /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,251 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "gerund of sink: the process by which something sinks, or is sunk.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sinking, with forms such as "isnking", "sikning", and "sinikng". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sizing", "siting", "sitting", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sink + -ing. The correct English form is sinking, spelled S-I-N-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    gerund of sink: the process by which something sinks, or is sunk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I witnessed the sinking of my ship from the shore.
  2. We must endeavour to realize a succession of gradual sinkings or depressions into deep water, alternating with gradual emergings into shallows, and eventually a gradual continued lifting of the whole district[…]

Etymology

From sink + -ing.

This word in other languages

hundimiento(Español)naufrage(Français)Untergang(Deutsch)naufrágio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isnking
  • sikning
  • sinikng
  • sinkign
  • sinkingg
  • sinkinng
  • sinkking
  • sinknig
  • sinnking
  • sniking
  • ssinking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isnking2sikning2sinikng2sinkign2sinkingg1sinkinng1sinkking1sinknig2
Edit distance from "sinking"

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 "sinking"?
"sinking" is spelled S-I-N-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/.
What does "sinking" mean?
As a noun, "sinking" means: gerund of sink: the process by which something sinks, or is sunk.
What words are commonly confused with "sinking"?
"sinking" 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 "sinking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sinking" is /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/. 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 "sinking"?
From sink + -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 "sinking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

simpler#9,250startup#9,256statute#9,257refusal#9,243

Similar misspelling depth

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

sickness11 variantsremedies11 variantspunched11 variantspumpkin11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list