stroking

/ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/

//ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ// verb

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

The verdict

“stroking” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,327 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#24,327
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - present participle and gerund of stroke

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

stroking vs strong
75% similar
stroking vs strolling
78% similar
stroking vs string
75% similar

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

Key facts for stroking
PropertyValue
Headwordstroking
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,327
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stroking” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for stroking is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,327 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "present participle and gerund of stroke".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for stroking, with forms such as "srtoking", "sstroking", and "storking". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "strong", "strolling", "string", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is stroking, spelled S-T-R-O-K-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of stroke

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: srtoking,sstroking,storking,strkoing,stroikng,strokign,strokingg,strokinng,strokking,stroknig,strroking,sttroking,tsroking

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtoking2sstroking1storking2strkoing2stroikng2strokign2strokingg1strokinng1
Edit distance from "stroking"

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 "stroking"?
"stroking" is spelled S-T-R-O-K-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/.
What does "stroking" mean?
As a verb, "stroking" means: present participle and gerund of stroke
What words are commonly confused with "stroking"?
"stroking" is commonly confused with "strong", "strolling", "string". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stroking"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stroking" is /ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "stroking" come from?
"stroking" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “stroking”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-O-K-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈstɹəʊ̯k.ɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “strong” - see the side-by-side comparison. stroking vs strong
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list