taxing

/ˈtæksɪŋ/

//ˈtæksɪŋ// verb

"taxing" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“taxing” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,043 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#17,043
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

taxing vs ting
67% similar
taxing vs thing
67% similar
taxing vs tying
67% similar

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

Key facts for taxing
PropertyValue
Headwordtaxing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtæksɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,043
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “taxing” 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). taxing 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 taxing is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtæksɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,043 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 tax".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for taxing, with forms such as "atxing", "taixng", and "taxign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ting", "thing", "tying", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Compare typologically Russian мыта́рство (mytárstvo) (< мы́тарь (mýtarʹ, “publican (tax collector)”)). The correct English form is taxing, spelled T-A-X-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of tax

Etymology

Compare typologically Russian мыта́рство (mytárstvo) (< мы́тарь (mýtarʹ, “publican (tax collector)”)).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: atxing,taixng,taxign,taxingg,taxinng,taxnig,taxxing,ttaxing,txaing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atxing2taixng2taxign2taxingg1taxinng1taxnig2taxxing1ttaxing1
Edit distance from "taxing"

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 "taxing"?
"taxing" is spelled T-A-X-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtæksɪŋ/.
What does "taxing" mean?
As a verb, "taxing" means: present participle and gerund of tax
What words are commonly confused with "taxing"?
"taxing" is commonly confused with "ting", "thing", "tying". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "taxing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "taxing" is /ˈtæksɪŋ/. 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 "taxing"?
Compare typologically Russian мыта́рство (mytárstvo) (< мы́тарь (mýtarʹ, “publican (tax collector)”)). 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.

Using “taxing”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-A-X-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtæksɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ting” - see the side-by-side comparison. taxing vs ting
  • 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