sling

/ˈslɪŋ/

//ˈslɪŋ// verb

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

"sling" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sling” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,698
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To throw with a circular or arcing motion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sling · sling · English

sling · rank #18,698 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,698
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slew

Nearest frequency peer: slew (-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 “sling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sling” 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).

sling vs song
60% similar
sling vs spin
60% similar
sling vs slip
60% similar

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

Key facts for sling
PropertyValue
Headwordsling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈslɪŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,698
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sling”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).slinglands 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 “slew” (#18,697), “socioeconomic” (#18,699), “sleek” (#18,696). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sling” is #18,698. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sling (IPA /ˈslɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,698 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sling, with forms such as "lsing", "silng", and "slign". 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, "song", "spin", "slip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slynge (noun), slyngen (verb), probably from Old Norse slyngja, slyngva (“to hurl”), from Proto-Germanic *slingwaną (“to worm, twist”) or compare Old English slingan (“to wind, twist”), from the same source. Compare German schlingen (“to… The correct English form is sling, spelled S-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    To throw with a circular or arcing motion.
  2. 2
    To throw with a sling.
  3. 3
    To pass a rope around (a cask, gun, etc.) preparatory to attaching a hoisting or lowering tackle.
  4. 4
    To sell, peddle, or distribute (often illicitly, e.g. drugs, sex, etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Everyone could sling stones at an hairbreadth, and not miss.
  2. slings a broken rock aloft in air

Etymology

From Middle English slynge (noun), slyngen (verb), probably from Old Norse slyngja, slyngva (“to hurl”), from Proto-Germanic *slingwaną (“to worm, twist”) or compare Old English slingan (“to wind, twist”), from the same source. Compare German schlingen (“to swing, wind, twist”), Danish and Norwegian slynge), from Proto-Indo-European *slenk- (“to turn, twist”) (compare Welsh llyngyr (“worms, maggots”), Lithuanian sliñkti (“to crawl like a snake”), Latvian slìkt (“to sink”)).

This word in other languages

tirar(Español)lancer(Français)schleudern(Deutsch)atirar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsing
  • silng
  • slign
  • slingg
  • slinng
  • slling
  • slnig
  • ssling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsing2silng2slign2slingg1slinng1slling1slnig2ssling1
Edit distance from "sling"

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 "sling"?
"sling" is spelled S-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɪŋ/.
What does "sling" mean?
As a verb, "sling" means: To throw with a circular or arcing motion.
What words are commonly confused with "sling"?
"sling" is commonly confused with "song", "spin", "slip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sling" is /ˈslɪŋ/. 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 "sling"?
From Middle English slynge (noun), slyngen (verb), probably from Old Norse slyngja, slyngva (“to hurl”), from Proto-Germanic *slingwaną (“to worm, twist”) or compare Old English slingan (“to wind, twist”), from the same source. Compare German schl... 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 "sling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sleek#18,696studs#18,705sheen#18,690shalt#18,689

Similar misspelling depth

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

rotting8 variantsromero8 variantsTombs8 variantspicky8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list