stocking

/ˈstɑkɪŋ/

//ˈstɑkɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stocking” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,281. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,281
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on the foot and lower leg under shoes or other footwear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stocking · stocking · English

stocking · rank #15,281 · 13 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,281
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Suarez

Nearest frequency peer: Suarez (+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 “stocking”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stocking” 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).

stocking vs sucking
75% similar
stocking vs storing
75% similar
stocking vs stoning
75% similar

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

Key facts for stocking
PropertyValue
Headwordstocking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɑkɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,281
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stocking”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Suarez” (#15,282), “stacks” (#15,279), “sprayed” (#15,278). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stocking” is #15,281. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around stocking (IPA /ˈstɑkɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,281 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for stocking, with forms such as "sotcking", "sstocking", and "stcoking". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "sucking", "storing", "stoning", 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 stock (“cover with material”) + -ing. Corruption of old plural -en, i.e. stocken, now singular. The correct English form is stocking, spelled S-T-O-C-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on the foot and lower leg under shoes or other footwear.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of Christmas stocking; a large, sock-like bag used to store small Christmas gifts, typically hung on a mantelpiece.
  3. 3
    A broad ring of a different fur colour on the lower part of the leg of a quadruped.
  4. 4
    A knitted hood of cotton thread which is eventually converted by a special process into an incandescent mantle for gas lighting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. a pair of stockings

Etymology

From stock (“cover with material”) + -ing. Corruption of old plural -en, i.e. stocken, now singular.

This word in other languages

media(Español)bas(Français)Strumpf(Deutsch)meia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sotcking
  • sstocking
  • stcoking
  • stoccking
  • stocikng
  • stockign
  • stockingg
  • stockinng
  • stockking
  • stocknig
  • stokcing
  • sttocking
  • tsocking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sotcking2sstocking1stcoking2stoccking1stocikng2stockign2stockingg1stockinng1
Edit distance from "stocking"

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 "stocking"?
"stocking" is spelled S-T-O-C-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɑkɪŋ/.
What does "stocking" mean?
As a noun, "stocking" means: A soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on the foot and lower leg under shoes or other footwear.
What words are commonly confused with "stocking"?
"stocking" is commonly confused with "sucking", "storing", "stoning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stocking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stocking" is /ˈstɑkɪŋ/. 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 "stocking"?
From stock (“cover with material”) + -ing. Corruption of old plural -en, i.e. stocken, now singular. 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 "stocking", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

showdown#15,271regained#15,256refinery#15,255partying#15,241

Similar misspelling depth

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

avalanche13 variantsmagnesium13 variantsClarkson13 variantshomestead13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list