listening

\ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\

/\ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“listening” is uncommon French (frequency #69,202 among 128,088 “L” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,202
frequency rank, French
128,088
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Participe présent du verbe to listen.

Key facts for listening
PropertyValue
Headwordlistening
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#69,202
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “listening” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

listening is uncommon French at frequency #69,202 among 128,088 “L” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Participe présent du verbe to listen.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for listening in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is listening, spelled L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Participe présent du verbe to listen.

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "listening"?
"listening" is spelled L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\.
What does "listening" mean?
As a verb, "listening" means: Participe présent du verbe to listen.
How do you pronounce "listening"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "listening" is \ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "listening" come from?
"listening" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “listening”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list