tailgating

noun

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

"tailgating" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

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
27,828
“T” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.

Key facts for tailgating
PropertyValue
Headwordtailgating
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#37,243
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tailgating” 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). tailgating lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around tailgating, anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,243 among 27,828 “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. 1
    The act of driving dangerously close behind another vehicle.
  2. 2
    A tailgate party (social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle)
  3. 3
    Inappropriately gaining entry into a restricted area, past a checkpoint, by tagging along behind another person who is authorized.
  4. 4
    Synonym of front running.

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.

atilgating2taiglating2tailagting2tailgaitng2tailgatign2tailgatingg1tailgatinng1tailgatnig2
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.

Using “tailgating”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-I-L-G-A-T-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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