# stocking

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstɑkɪŋ/ · frequency rank #15,281

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **sucking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-sucking)
- **storing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-storing)
- **stoning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-stoning)
- **stopping** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-stopping)
- **striking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-striking)
- **storming** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-storming)
- **stomping** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-stomping)
- **stroking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stocking-vs-stroking)
- **smoking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smoking-vs-stocking)
- **soaking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soaking-vs-stocking)
- **sacking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sacking-vs-stocking)
- **staking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/staking-vs-stocking)
- **shocking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shocking-vs-stocking)
- **sticking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sticking-vs-stocking)
- **stalking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stalking-vs-stocking)
- **stacking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stacking-vs-stocking)
- **stinking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stinking-vs-stocking)
- **smacking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/smacking-vs-stocking)

## Common misspellings (13)
`sotcking`, `sstocking`, `stcoking`, `stoccking`, `stocikng`, `stockign`, `stockingg`, `stockinng`, `stockking`, `stocknig`, `stokcing`, `sttocking`, `tsocking`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stocking