Pronunciation: [tˈa͡ʊslɪŋ] (IPA) 
The word "tousling" is spelled like it sounds: TOW-sling. The "ou" combination in the first syllable is pronounced like the "ow" in "cow." The consonant cluster "sl" is pronounced as one sound, with the "s" blending into the "l." The final "ing" is pronounced as "ing" in "singing." "Tousling" means to disorder or mess up someone's hair, and is often used figuratively to describe disrupting or disturbing something.
Tousling is a verb that refers to the act of dishevelling or disordering someone's hair or something that is meant to be neat and ordered. It involves running one's hands through the hair or using some sort of physical action to make the hair appear untidy or messy. Tousling can be done deliberately, such as when making a casual hairstyle, or it can happen unintentionally, often as a result of vigorous movement or activity.
The term "tousling" can also be used metaphorically to describe the act of disarranging or disturbing something that is supposed to be organized or orderly. This could apply to physical objects like clothing or papers, as well as to abstract concepts like plans or ideas.
The word has its origins in the Middle English word "touselen," which meant "to handle or touch roughly." It may also have roots in the Old High German word "zuseln," which meant "to become disordered or tousled."
Overall, tousling refers to the action of purposely or accidentally disarranging something or someone's appearance or structure, typically in reference to hair but also more broadly to other physical or abstract elements.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "tousling" originates from the verb "tousle". The etymology of "tousle" can be traced back to the Middle English word "touselen", which meant "to tear into pieces" or "to handle roughly". It likely derived from the word "touse", which meant "to pull apart" or "to tangle". The origin of "touse" is uncertain, but it might stem from the Old English word "tūsian" meaning "to break to pieces" or "to tear". Ultimately, "tousling" refers to the act of roughening or disarranging something, such as hair or clothing.
