Which to use
“haunting” is a verb and “hinting” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,557
- “haunting” frequency rank
- #25,410
- “hinting” frequency rank
- 39967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | haunting | hinting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of haunt | The act of giving a hint or suggestion. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set haunting and hinting apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: haunting is averb and hintinganoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
haunting is recorded at frequency rank #14,557, classified as averb. hinting is at rank #25,410, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɪntɪŋ/.
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 39967, this pair ranks #271,871 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of haunting vs hinting
Shared letters: ghint. Private to "haunting": au. Private to "hinting": -.
"haunting" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC · "hinting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "haunting" and "hinting" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "haunting" or "hinting"?
Remembering haunting vs hinting
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “haunting”; for a noun, it's “hinting”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “haunting” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable