teeming

/ˈtiːmɪŋ/

//ˈtiːmɪŋ// verb

"teeming" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“teeming” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,375 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#31,375
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

teeming vs timing
71% similar
teeming vs telling
71% similar
teeming vs testing
71% similar

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

Key facts for teeming
PropertyValue
Headwordteeming
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtiːmɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,375
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “teeming” 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). teeming 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 teeming is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtiːmɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,375 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 teem".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for teeming, with forms such as "eteming", "teeimng", and "teemign". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "timing", "telling", "testing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is teeming, spelled T-E-E-M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of teem

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eteming,teeimng,teemign,teemingg,teeminng,teemming,teemnig,temeing,teming,tteeming

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eteming2teeimng2teemign2teemingg1teeminng1teemming1teemnig2temeing2
Edit distance from "teeming"

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 "teeming"?
"teeming" is spelled T-E-E-M-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtiːmɪŋ/.
What does "teeming" mean?
As a verb, "teeming" means: present participle and gerund of teem
What words are commonly confused with "teeming"?
"teeming" is commonly confused with "timing", "telling", "testing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "teeming"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "teeming" is /ˈtiːmɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "teeming" come from?
"teeming" 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 “teeming”

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

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