linguist
That’s only 7 letters. In play: slinging
giggling
1 - L
2 - I
3 - N
4 - G
5 - U
6 - I
7 - S
8 - T
I’ve been fooled myself in these word threads by lower-case “l” and “i”. The visual illusion of a shorter word is compelling.
haggling!
This literally kept me awake recounting the letters and wondering how I arrived at 7. I’m sorry, I goofed.
shagging
gaslight
lighting
laughing
flagging
ganglion
hangnail
changing
ginghams
shagging
shavings
behaving
beknight
brighten
frighten