spending

/ˈspɛndɪŋ/

//ˈspɛndɪŋ// noun

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

"spending" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spending” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,015. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,015
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - gerund of spend, expenditure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spending · spending · English

spending · rank #2,015 · 13 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,015
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH signs

Nearest frequency peer: signs (-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 “spending”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spending” 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).

spending vs spewing
75% similar
spending vs standing
75% similar
spending vs spinning
75% similar

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

Key facts for spending
PropertyValue
Headwordspending
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspɛndɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,015
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spending”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “signs” (#2,014), “steel” (#2,016), “remove” (#2,013). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spending” is #2,015. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around spending (IPA /ˈspɛndɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,015 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for spending, with forms such as "psending", "sepnding", and "spedning". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "spewing", "standing", "spinning", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English spendyng, spendynge, from Old English spendung (“spending”), equivalent to spend + -ing. Cognate with German Spendung (“contribution, donation”). The correct English form is spending, spelled S-P-E-N-D-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    gerund of spend, expenditure.
  2. 2
    An amount that has been, or is planned to be spent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. excessive spendings

Etymology

From Middle English spendyng, spendynge, from Old English spendung (“spending”), equivalent to spend + -ing. Cognate with German Spendung (“contribution, donation”).

Synonyms

outlay

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psending
  • sepnding
  • spedning
  • spendding
  • spendign
  • spendingg
  • spendinng
  • spendnig
  • spenidng
  • spennding
  • spneding
  • sppending
  • sspending

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psending2sepnding2spedning2spendding1spendign2spendingg1spendinng1spendnig2
Edit distance from "spending"

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 "spending"?
"spending" is spelled S-P-E-N-D-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɛndɪŋ/.
What does "spending" mean?
As a noun, "spending" means: gerund of spend, expenditure.
What words are commonly confused with "spending"?
"spending" is commonly confused with "spewing", "standing", "spinning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spending"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spending" is /ˈspɛndɪŋ/. 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 "spending"?
From Middle English spendyng, spendynge, from Old English spendung (“spending”), equivalent to spend + -ing. Cognate with German Spendung (“contribution, donation”). 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 "spending", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

purchase#2,011terrible#2,019proposed#2,010policies#2,008

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

drinking13 variantsbringing13 variantsappearance13 variantstransfer13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list