tailgating

Name: tailgating, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“tailgating” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,243. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,243
frequency rank, English: 3,151
“T” headwords: 15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tailgating · tailgating · English

tailgating · rank #37,243 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #37,243
LEN-MEGA 10 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 15 variants
BOOK-MID 3,151
PHOTO-FINISH syndication

Nearest frequency peer: syndication (-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.

suffocation

62,762
surpluses

62,761
syndication

62,759
tailgating

62,758
tama

62,757
tenfold

62,753

What this shows “tailgating” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for tailgating
Property	Value
Headword	tailgating
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#37,243
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tailgating”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tailgatinglands here:

#37,243

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “syndication” (#37,242), “tama” (#37,244), “surpluses” (#37,240). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tailgating” is #37,243. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around tailgating, anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,243 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for tailgating, with forms such as "atilgating", "taiglating", and "tailagting". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is tailgating, spelled T-A-I-L-G-A-T-I-N-G.

Definition

1
The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.
2
A tailgate party (social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle)
3
Inappropriately gaining entry into a restricted area, past a checkpoint, by tagging along behind another person who is authorized.
4
Synonym of front running.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

On his first encounter with tailgating in 2006, he was flabbergasted at the way rival fans mixed peaceably together at the parties. A Chicago Bears fan, he was warmly welcomed into a group of Arizona Cardinals fans and fed. "I was shocked and slightly worried. I thought they were going to poison me. It was just so odd."

This word in other languages

Drängeln(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

atilgating
taiglating
tailagting
tailgaitng
tailgatign
tailgatingg
tailgatinng
tailgatnig
tailgatting
tailggating
tailgtaing
taillgating
taligating
tialgating
ttailgating

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tailgating - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "tailgating"

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 "tailgating"?

"tailgating" is spelled T-A-I-L-G-A-T-I-N-G.

What does "tailgating" mean?

As a noun, "tailgating" means: The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.

What are common misspellings of "tailgating"?

Common misspellings include "atilgating", "taiglating", "tailagting", "tailgaitng", "tailgatign". The correct spelling is "tailgating".

What language does "tailgating" come from?

"tailgating" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

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 "tailgating", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tolerances#37,256 unrivalled#37,268 retaliated#37,201 reorganize#37,196

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

suffocation15 variants rediscover15 variants preemptive15 variants Asperger's15 variants