yearning

/ˈjɝnɪŋ/

//ˈjɝnɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“yearning” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,429. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,429
frequency rank, English
366
“Y” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wistful or melancholy longing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-yearning · yearning · English

yearning · rank #21,429 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,429
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 366
  • PHOTO-FINISH Woodlands

Nearest frequency peer: Woodlands (-2 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 “yearning”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “yearning” 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).

yearning vs yawning
75% similar
yearning vs yearling
88% similar

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

Key facts for yearning
PropertyValue
Headwordyearning
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjɝnɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,429
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “yearning”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).yearninglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Woodlands” (#21,427), “wis” (#21,426), “winnings” (#21,425). Among 366 “Y” headwords, “yearning” is #21,429. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around yearning (IPA /ˈjɝnɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,429 among 366 “Y” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A wistful or melancholy longing.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for yearning, with forms such as "eyarning", "yaerning", and "yeanring". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "yawning", "yearling", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yerning, from Old English ġierning, ġierninge. Equivalent to the gerund (yearn + -ing). yearn comes from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan, from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną, from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-European *g… The correct English form is yearning, spelled Y-E-A-R-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wistful or melancholy longing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She had a yearning to see her long-lost sister again.

Etymology

From Middle English yerning, from Old English ġierning, ġierninge. Equivalent to the gerund (yearn + -ing). yearn comes from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan, from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną, from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”). By surface analysis, yearn + -ing.

This word in other languages

anhelo(Español)aspiration(Français)Sehnsucht(Deutsch)saudade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eyarning
  • yaerning
  • yeanring
  • yearinng
  • yearnign
  • yearningg
  • yearninng
  • yearnnig
  • yearnning
  • yearrning
  • yeraning
  • yyearning

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eyarning2yaerning2yeanring2yearinng2yearnign2yearningg1yearninng1yearnnig2
Edit distance from "yearning"

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 "yearning"?
"yearning" is spelled Y-E-A-R-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjɝnɪŋ/.
What does "yearning" mean?
As a noun, "yearning" means: A wistful or melancholy longing.
What words are commonly confused with "yearning"?
"yearning" is commonly confused with "yawning", "yearling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yearning"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yearning" is /ˈjɝnɪŋ/. 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 "yearning"?
From Middle English yerning, from Old English ġierning, ġierninge. Equivalent to the gerund (yearn + -ing). yearn comes from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan, from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną, from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-E... 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 "yearning", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

winnings#21,425Whitaker#21,422unmarked#21,401bubbling#21,461

Similar misspelling depth

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

thirties12 variantsconverge12 variantsCopeland12 variantscryptic12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list