# ailing vs asking

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### asking
*verb · IPA /ˈæskɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,158*
present participle of ask

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