writing on the wall
/ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɒn ðə ˈwɔːl/
"writing-on-the-wall" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“writing on the wall” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 19
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.
Corpus desk
Index EN-writing-on-the-wall · writing on the wall · English
writing on the wall · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 19 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "W" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | writing on the wall |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɒn ðə ˈwɔːl/ |
| Letters | 19 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “writing on the wall” in English
Rare enough to double-check
writing on the wall is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ ɒn ðə ˈwɔːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for writing on the wall, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the Biblical story in Daniel 5, where, during a feast held by King Belshazzar, a hand suddenly appears and writes on a wall the following Aramaic words: מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “numbered, numbered, weighed, and they are… The correct English form is writing on the wall, spelled W-R-I-T-I-N-G- -O-N- -T-H-E- -W-A-L-L.
Definition
- 1An ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how writing on the wall appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He could see the writing on the wall months before the business failed.
However, regardless of evil portents, prophetic despair and a great deal too much writing on the wall, I have managed so far to write two fairly cheerful musical comedies.
Etymology
From the Biblical story in Daniel 5, where, during a feast held by King Belshazzar, a hand suddenly appears and writes on a wall the following Aramaic words: מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “numbered, numbered, weighed, and they are divided”) (Daniel 5:25). Daniel interprets the words as pointing to the downfall of the Babylonian Empire.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.