writing

/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/

//ˈɹaɪtɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“writing” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #920. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#920
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-writing · writing · English

writing · rank #920 · 11 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #920
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH whose

Nearest frequency peer: whose (-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 “writing”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “writing” 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).

writing vs writings
88% similar
writing vs wring
71% similar
writing vs wiring
71% similar

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

Key facts for writing
PropertyValue
Headwordwriting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#920
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “writing”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).writinglands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “whose” (#919), “army” (#921), “voice” (#918). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “writing” is #920. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around writing (IPA /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #920 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for writing, with forms such as "rwiting", "wirting", and "wriitng". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "writings", "wring", "wiring", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English writing, writyng, wryting, wrytyng, from Old English wrīting (“writing”), equivalent to write + -ing. The correct English form is writing, spelled W-R-I-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning.
  2. 2
    Something written, such as a document, article or book.
  3. 3
    The process of representing a language with symbols or letters.
  4. 4
    A work of an author.
  5. 5
    The style of writing of a person.
  6. 6
    Intended for or used in writing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Because writing of any kind is no more and no less than a graphic representation of speech[…], to study its nature and history we must often have recourse to the speech, that is, to the language, that the writing writes.
  2. Early writing appeared in both societies around 3000 B.C.E., mainly for administrative purposes in Egypt and for accounting and trading in Sumer.

Etymology

From Middle English writing, writyng, wryting, wrytyng, from Old English wrīting (“writing”), equivalent to write + -ing.

Synonyms

textdocumentmanuscripttextworkhandhandwritingalphabetcharacterideogramlogogrampictogramscriptsyllabarywriting system

This word in other languages

escritura(Español)écriture(Français)Schrift(Deutsch)escrita(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rwiting
  • wirting
  • wriitng
  • writign
  • writingg
  • writinng
  • writnig
  • writting
  • wrriting
  • wrtiing
  • wwriting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rwiting2wirting2wriitng2writign2writingg1writinng1writnig2writting1
Edit distance from "writing"

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 "writing"?
"writing" is spelled W-R-I-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/.
What does "writing" mean?
As a noun, "writing" means: Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning.
What words are commonly confused with "writing"?
"writing" is commonly confused with "writings", "wring", "wiring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "writing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "writing" is /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/. 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 "writing"?
From Middle English writing, writyng, wryting, wrytyng, from Old English wrīting (“writing”), equivalent to write + -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 "writing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

version#917systems#916popular#912success#935

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

towards11 variantschanged11 variantsreleased11 variantsschools11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list