# expressing vs expressive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### expressing
*verb · IPA /ɛkˈspɹɛsɪŋ/ · frequency rank #7,223*
present participle and gerund of express

### expressive
*adjective · IPA /ɪkˈspɹɛsɪv/ · frequency rank #16,467*
Effectively conveying thought or feeling.

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