yearling

/ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/

//ˈjɜː.lɪŋ// noun

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

"yearling" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yearling” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,002. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,002
frequency rank, English
366
“Y” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An animal that is between one and two years old; one that is in its second year (but not yet two full years old).

Corpus desk

Index EN-yearling · yearling · English

yearling · rank #43,002 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,002
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 366
  • PHOTO-FINISH Xue

Nearest frequency peer: Xue (-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 “yearling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “yearling” 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).

yearling vs yelling
75% similar
yearling vs yearning
88% similar

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

Key facts for yearling
PropertyValue
Headwordyearling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#43,002
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “yearling”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).yearlinglands 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 “Xue” (#43,001), “Zahra” (#43,003), “Xerxes” (#43,000). Among 366 “Y” headwords, “yearling” is #43,002. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around yearling (IPA /ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,002 among 366 “Y” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for yearling, with forms such as "eyarling", "yaerling", and "yealring". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "yelling", "yearning", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yerling, yerlyng, equivalent to year + -ling. Cognate with Dutch jaarling (“yearling”), German Jährling (“yearling”). The correct English form is yearling, spelled Y-E-A-R-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    An animal that is between one and two years old; one that is in its second year (but not yet two full years old).
  2. 2
    A racehorse that is considered to be one year old until a subsequent January 1st.
  3. 3
    A sophomore at West Point military academy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a yearling lamb
  2. Tom Fettig and his wife, Kim, were there with 60 yearlings, about half of a herd they were helping their son raise on the outskirts of Bismarck.

Etymology

From Middle English yerling, yerlyng, equivalent to year + -ling. Cognate with Dutch jaarling (“yearling”), German Jährling (“yearling”).

This word in other languages

añojo(Español)Jährling(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eyarling
  • yaerling
  • yealring
  • yearilng
  • yearlign
  • yearlingg
  • yearlinng
  • yearlling
  • yearlnig
  • yearrling
  • yeraling
  • yyearling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eyarling2yaerling2yealring2yearilng2yearlign2yearlingg1yearlinng1yearlling1
Edit distance from "yearling"

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 "yearling"?
"yearling" is spelled Y-E-A-R-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/.
What does "yearling" mean?
As a noun, "yearling" means: An animal that is between one and two years old; one that is in its second year (but not yet two full years old).
What words are commonly confused with "yearling"?
"yearling" is commonly confused with "yelling", "yearning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yearling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yearling" is /ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/. 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 "yearling"?
From Middle English yerling, yerlyng, equivalent to year + -ling. Cognate with Dutch jaarling (“yearling”), German Jährling (“yearling”). 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 "yearling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abortive#43,014uplifted#42,976apostate#43,030underlie#42,970

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

vivacious12 variantsTyneside12 variantsTipperary12 variantsbreeches12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list