feedingvsfleeingWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“feeding” and “fleeing” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,448
“feeding” frequency rank
#12,243
“fleeing” frequency rank
16691
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feeding fleeing
Definition present participle and gerund of feed present participle and gerund of flee

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set feeding and fleeing apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
feeding
7 ch
fleeing

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. feeding (/ˈfiːdɪŋ/) and fleeing (/ˈfliːɪŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16691, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feeding is recorded at frequency rank #4,448, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈfiːdɪŋ/. fleeing is at rank #12,243, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfliːɪŋ/.

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 16691, this pair ranks #456,149 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of feeding vs fleeing

Shared letters: efgin. Private to "feeding": d. Private to "fleeing": l.

"feeding" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC  ·  "fleeing" · 7 letters · shape CCVVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feedingefeding · fedeing · feding · feedding · feedign · feedingg · feedinng · feednig
  • fleeingffleeing · fleeign · fleeingg · fleeinng · fleenig · fleieng · fleing · flleeing

Frequency comparison

feeding#4,448
fleeing#12,243

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feeding" and "fleeing" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈfiːdɪŋ/ versus /ˈfliːɪŋ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feeding" or "fleeing"?
"feeding" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,448 in our English list, against #12,243 for "fleeing". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering feeding vs fleeing

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “feeding” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list