# clinging vs cringing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### clinging
*verb · IPA /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/ · frequency rank #18,040*
present participle and gerund of cling

### cringing
*verb · IPA /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒɪŋ/ · frequency rank #39,760*
present participle and gerund of cringe

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