writing
/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/
"writing" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“writing” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #920 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #920
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | writing |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #920 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “writing” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for writing is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #920 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning.
- 2Something written, such as a document, article or book.
- 3The process of representing a language with symbols or letters.
- 4A work of an author.
- 5The style of writing of a person.
- 6Intended for or used in writing.
Etymology
From Middle English writing, writyng, wryting, wrytyng, from Old English wrīting (“writing”), equivalent to write + -ing.
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “writing”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-R-I-T-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “writings” - see the side-by-side comparison. writing vs writings
- 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.