Wellington

/ˈwɛlɪŋtən/

//ˈwɛlɪŋtən// name

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

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

The verdict

“Wellington” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,420. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,420
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The capital city of New Zealand in the Wellington region.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Wellington vs Wilmington
80% similar

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

Key facts for Wellington
PropertyValue
HeadwordWellington
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈwɛlɪŋtən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#9,420
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Wellington” 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). Wellington 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 14 spelling variants around Wellington (IPA /ˈwɛlɪŋtən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #9,420 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 38 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Wellington, with forms such as "ewllington", "welilngton", and "welington". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Wilmington", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier Wēolingtūn, from: # For the place in Shropshire, England: Partly uncertain. The second element from Old English tūn (“estate”), while the first element could come either from *wœling (“ridge, bank”), or else from *wēoling (“device, artefact”). … The correct English form is Wellington, spelled W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital city of New Zealand in the Wellington region.
  2. 2
    by extension, the Government of New Zealand.
  3. 3
    A region in the south of the North Island, New Zealand, which includes the capital; in full, Wellington Region.
  4. 4
    Some places in England:
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    Some places in England:
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    Any of several places in a select number of countries, including:
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    Any of several places in a select number of countries, including:
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  37. 37
    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, British soldier and statesman.
  38. 38
    A habitational surname from Old English from the places in England.

Etymology

From earlier Wēolingtūn, from: # For the place in Shropshire, England: Partly uncertain. The second element from Old English tūn (“estate”), while the first element could come either from *wœling (“ridge, bank”), or else from *wēoling (“device, artefact”). # For the place in Somerset, England: Partly obscure. The last element from Old English tūn (“estate”), while the first element could come from either the personal name *Wēola + ing, or else *wēoling (“trap”). # Many places with this name are named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, British soldier and statesman.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewllington
  • welilngton
  • welington
  • wellignton
  • wellinggton
  • wellingotn
  • wellingtno
  • wellingtonn
  • wellingtton
  • wellinngton
  • wellintgon
  • wellnigton
  • wlelington
  • wwellington

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ewllington2welilngton2welington1wellignton2wellinggton1wellingotn2wellingtno2wellingtonn1
Edit distance from "Wellington"

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 "Wellington"?
"Wellington" is spelled W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɛlɪŋtən/.
What does "Wellington" mean?
As a proper noun, "Wellington" means: The capital city of New Zealand in the Wellington region.
What words are commonly confused with "Wellington"?
"Wellington" is commonly confused with "Wilmington". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Wellington"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Wellington" is /ˈwɛlɪŋtən/. 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 "Wellington"?
From earlier Wēolingtūn, from: # For the place in Shropshire, England: Partly uncertain. The second element from Old English tūn (“estate”), while the first element could come either from *wœling (“ridge, bank”), or else from *wēoling (“device, ar... 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 “Wellington”

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

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