Which to use
“defining” is an adjective and “desiring” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,554
- “defining” frequency rank
- #32,349
- “desiring” frequency rank
- 39903
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defining | desiring |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Serving to define or distinguish. | present participle and gerund of desire |
Letter map: defining vs desiring
Shared letters muted; letters that set defining and desiring apart highlighted. Shared run: 6.
Grammar separator: defining vs desiring
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: defining is anadjective and desiringaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39903, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defining is recorded at frequency rank #7,554, classified as anadj. desiring is at rank #32,349, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈzaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 39903, this pair ranks #272,427 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of defining vs desiring
Shared letters: degin. Private to "defining": f. Private to "desiring": rs.
"defining" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC · "desiring" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "defining" and "desiring" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "defining" or "desiring"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "defining" and "desiring".
- Full dictionary entry for "defining" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "desiring" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,427 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defining" and "desiring" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desiring vs despairing". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #272,427 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.