Which to use
“imitating” is a verb and “irritating” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,406
- “imitating” frequency rank
- #12,798
- “irritating” frequency rank
- 35204
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | imitating | irritating |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of imitate | Causing irritation, annoyance or pain. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set imitating and irritating apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: imitating is averb and irritatinganadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
imitating is recorded at frequency rank #22,406, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɪməteɪtɪŋ/. irritating is at rank #12,798, tagged as anadj.
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 35204, this pair ranks #314,007 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of imitating vs irritating
Shared letters: agint. Private to "imitating": m. Private to "irritating": r.
"imitating" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVCC · "irritating" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- imitating ← iimtating · imiatting · imitaitng · imitatign · imitatingg · imitatinng · imitatnig · imitatting
- irritating ← irirtating · iritating · irriatting · irritaitng · irritatign · irritatingg · irritatinng · irritatnig
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "imitating" and "irritating" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "imitating" or "irritating"?
Remembering imitating vs irritating
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “imitating”; for an adjective, it's “irritating”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “imitating” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable