# changeling vs changing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### changeling
*noun · IPA /ˈtʃeɪn(d)ʒlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #48,130*
In pre-modern European folklore: an infant of a magical creature that was secretly exchanged for a human infant. In British, Irish and Scandinavian mythology the exchanged infants were thought to be those of fairies, sprites or trolls; in other places, they were ascribed to demons, devils, or witches.

### changing
*verb · IPA /ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,787*
present participle and gerund of change

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