weathering

noun

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

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

The verdict

“weathering” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,286. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,286
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Weather, especially favourable or fair weather.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

weathering vs withering
80% similar
weathering vs watering
80% similar

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

Key facts for weathering
PropertyValue
Headwordweathering
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#30,286
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “weathering” 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). weathering 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 weathering, anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,286 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for weathering, with forms such as "ewathering", "waethering", and "weahtering". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "withering", "watering", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wederyng, equivalent to weather + -ing. The correct English form is weathering, spelled W-E-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Weather, especially favourable or fair weather.
  2. 2
    Mechanical or chemical breaking down of rocks in situ by weather or other causes.
  3. 3
    A slight inclination given to an approximately horizontal surface to enable it to throw off water.
  4. 4
    The action of weather on objects exposed to it.

Etymology

From Middle English wederyng, equivalent to weather + -ing.

This word in other languages

meteorización(Español)météorisation(Français)Verwitterung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewathering
  • waethering
  • weahtering
  • weatehring
  • weatheirng
  • weatherign
  • weatheringg
  • weatherinng
  • weathernig
  • weatherring
  • weathhering
  • weathreing
  • weatthering
  • wetahering
  • wweathering

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of weathering - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ewathering2waethering2weahtering2weatehring2weatheirng2weatherign2weatheringg1weatherinng1
Edit distance from "weathering"

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 "weathering"?
"weathering" is spelled W-E-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-G.
What does "weathering" mean?
As a noun, "weathering" means: Weather, especially favourable or fair weather.
What words are commonly confused with "weathering"?
"weathering" is commonly confused with "withering", "watering". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "weathering"?
From Middle English wederyng, equivalent to weather + -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.

Using “weathering”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-E-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “withering” - see the side-by-side comparison. weathering vs withering
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list