# aching vs ailing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### aching
*verb · IPA /ˈeɪ.kɪŋ/ · frequency rank #19,750*
present participle and gerund of ache

### ailing
*noun · IPA /ˈeɪ.lɪŋ/ · frequency rank #25,993*
An ailment.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aching-vs-ailing