Which to use
“distracting” is an adjective and “distraction” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,454
- “distracting” frequency rank
- #9,876
- “distraction” frequency rank
- 26330
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | distracting | distraction |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Causing a distraction; interfering with the ability to concentrate or focus. | Something that distracts. |
Letter map: distracting vs distraction
Shared letters muted; letters that set distracting and distraction apart highlighted. Shared run: 10.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: distracting is anadjective and distractionanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26330, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
distracting is recorded at frequency rank #16,454, classified as anadj. distraction is at rank #9,876, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/.
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 26330, this pair ranks #387,511 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of distracting vs distraction
Shared letters: acdinrst. Private to "distracting": g. Private to "distraction": o.
"distracting" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC · "distraction" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- distracting ← ddistracting · disrtacting · disstracting · distarcting · distraccting · distracitng · distractign · distractingg
- distraction ← ddistraction · disrtaction · disstraction · distarction · distracction · distraciton · distracsion · distractino