feigningvsfriggingWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,925
“feigning” frequency rank
#49,342
“frigging” frequency rank
95267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature feigning frigging
Definition present participle and gerund of feign present participle and gerund of frig

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
feigning
8 ch
frigging

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. feigning (/ˈfeɪnɪŋ/) and frigging (/ˈfɹɪɡɪŋ/) 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 95267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

feigning is recorded at frequency rank #45,925, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈfeɪnɪŋ/. frigging is at rank #49,342, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfɹɪɡɪŋ/.

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 95267, this pair ranks #1,030 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of feigning vs frigging

Shared letters: fgin. Private to "feigning": e. Private to "frigging": r.

"feigning" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC  ·  "frigging" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • feigningefigning · fegining · feiggning · feiginng · feignign · feigningg · feigninng · feignnig
  • friggingffrigging · firgging · frgiging · friggign · friggingg · frigginng · friggnig · frigigng

Frequency comparison

feigning#45,925
frigging#49,342

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "feigning" and "frigging" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈfeɪnɪŋ/ versus /ˈfɹɪɡɪŋ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "feigning" or "frigging"?
"feigning" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #45,925 in our English list, against #49,342 for "frigging". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering feigning vs frigging

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 “feigning” 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