sitting

/ˈsɪtɪŋ/

//ˈsɪtɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sitting” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,469. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,469
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sitting · sitting · English

sitting · rank #1,469 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,469
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH showed

Nearest frequency peer: showed (-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 “sitting”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sitting” 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).

sitting vs sting
71% similar
sitting vs string
71% similar
sitting vs sizing
71% similar

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

Key facts for sitting
PropertyValue
Headwordsitting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪtɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,469
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sitting”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sittinglands 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 “showed” (#1,468), “standing” (#1,470), “seconds” (#1,467). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sitting” is #1,469. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sitting (IPA /ˈsɪtɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,469 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sitting, with forms such as "istting", "sititng", and "sittign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sting", "string", "sizing", 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 sittyng, sittynge, equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with Dutch zitting (“a sitting, session”), German Sitzung (“a sitting, session”), Swedish sittning (“a sitting, session”). The correct English form is sitting, spelled S-I-T-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
  2. 2
    A seance or other session with a medium or fortuneteller.
  3. 3
    A special seat allotted to a seat-holder, at church, etc.
  4. 4
    The part of the year in which judicial business is transacted.
  5. 5
    A legislative session (in the sense of meeting, and not period).
  6. 6
    The incubation of eggs by a bird.
  7. 7
    A clutch of eggs laid by a brooding bird.
  8. 8
    An uninterrupted application to anything for a time; the period during which one continues at anything.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Due to the sheer volume of guests, we had to have two sittings for the meal.
  2. The Queen had three sittings for her portrait.

Etymology

From Middle English sittyng, sittynge, equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with Dutch zitting (“a sitting, session”), German Sitzung (“a sitting, session”), Swedish sittning (“a sitting, session”).

This word in other languages

sentada(Español)Sitzung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • istting
  • sititng
  • sittign
  • sittingg
  • sittinng
  • sittnig
  • ssitting
  • stiting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

istting2sititng2sittign2sittingg1sittinng1sittnig2ssitting1stiting2
Edit distance from "sitting"

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 "sitting"?
"sitting" is spelled S-I-T-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪtɪŋ/.
What does "sitting" mean?
As a noun, "sitting" means: A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
What words are commonly confused with "sitting"?
"sitting" is commonly confused with "sting", "string", "sizing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sitting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sitting" is /ˈsɪtɪŋ/. 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 "sitting"?
From Middle English sittyng, sittynge, equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with Dutch zitting (“a sitting, session”), German Sitzung (“a sitting, session”), Swedish sittning (“a sitting, session”). 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 "sitting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

seconds#1,467walking#1,472putting#1,465offered#1,464

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

stars8 variantsactual8 variantschannel8 variantseating8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list