wailing

/ˈweɪlɪŋ/

//ˈweɪlɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wailing” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,253. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,253
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A loud drawn out scream or howl.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wailing · wailing · English

wailing · rank #25,253 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,253
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH vibrator

Nearest frequency peer: vibrator (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wailing”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

wailing vs waking
71% similar
wailing vs waving
71% similar
wailing vs wiring
71% similar

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

Key facts for wailing
PropertyValue
Headwordwailing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈweɪlɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#25,253
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wailing”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “vibrator” (#25,252), “warhol” (#25,255), “vetting” (#25,250). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wailing” is #25,253. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around wailing (IPA /ˈweɪlɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,253 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A loud drawn out scream or howl.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for wailing, with forms such as "awiling", "waiilng", and "wailign". 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, "waking", "waving", "wiring", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wail + -ing. The correct English form is wailing, spelled W-A-I-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A loud drawn out scream or howl.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 'For as soon as I heard Tewkesbury tell of screams and wailings in the air, and no one to be seen,' said Elzevir, 'I guessed that some poor soul had got shut in the vault, and was there crying for his life.

Etymology

From wail + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awiling
  • waiilng
  • wailign
  • wailingg
  • wailinng
  • wailling
  • wailnig
  • waliing
  • wialing
  • wwailing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awiling2waiilng2wailign2wailingg1wailinng1wailling1wailnig2waliing2
Edit distance from "wailing"

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 "wailing"?
"wailing" is spelled W-A-I-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈweɪlɪŋ/.
What does "wailing" mean?
As a noun, "wailing" means: A loud drawn out scream or howl.
What words are commonly confused with "wailing"?
"wailing" is commonly confused with "waking", "waving", "wiring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wailing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wailing" is /ˈweɪlɪŋ/. 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 "wailing"?
From wail + -ing. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wailing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vetting#25,250wishful#25,258Anfield#25,276Astoria#25,283

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

stench10 variantssparring10 variantsshrewd10 variantscatered10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list