spreading

/ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/

//ˈspɹɛdɪŋ// verb

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

"spreading" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spreading” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,269. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,269
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of spread

Corpus desk

Index EN-spreading · spreading · English

spreading · rank #5,269 · 14 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,269
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spotted

Nearest frequency peer: spotted (-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 “spreading”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spreading” 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).

spreading vs streaming
78% similar
spreading vs streaking
78% similar
spreading vs speaking
78% similar

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

Key facts for spreading
PropertyValue
Headwordspreading
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,269
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spreading”

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).spreadinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “spotted” (#5,268), “Stanley” (#5,270), “Sony” (#5,267). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spreading” is #5,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around spreading (IPA /ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,269 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of spread".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for spreading, with forms such as "psreading", "sperading", and "sppreading". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "streaming", "streaking", "speaking", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, spread + -ing. The correct English form is spreading, spelled S-P-R-E-A-D-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of spread

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And so, unfortunately, this great and spreading network of railways, that recently showed such promise as a major instrument in the modern development of China, must be left for the time being in the melting-pot of Armageddon.
  2. As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field.

Etymology

By surface analysis, spread + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psreading
  • sperading
  • sppreading
  • spraeding
  • spreadding
  • spreadign
  • spreadingg
  • spreadinng
  • spreadnig
  • spreaidng
  • spredaing
  • sprreading
  • srpeading
  • sspreading

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psreading2sperading2sppreading1spraeding2spreadding1spreadign2spreadingg1spreadinng1
Edit distance from "spreading"

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 "spreading"?
"spreading" is spelled S-P-R-E-A-D-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/.
What does "spreading" mean?
As a verb, "spreading" means: present participle and gerund of spread
What words are commonly confused with "spreading"?
"spreading" is commonly confused with "streaming", "streaking", "speaking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spreading"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spreading" is /ˈspɹɛdɪŋ/. 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 "spreading"?
By surface analysis, spread + -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 "spreading", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sustained#5,272accepting#5,285animation#5,290partially#5,242

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

assignment14 variantsovernight14 variantsnightmare14 variantscollecting14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list