# competent vs competing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### competent
*adjective · IPA /ˈkɒmpətənt/ · frequency rank #8,018*
Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.

### competing
*adjective · IPA /kəmˈpiːtɪŋ/ · frequency rank #4,931*
Being in the state of competition (often unintentionally).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/competent-vs-competing