Which to use
“inching” is a verb and “inning” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,816
- “inching” frequency rank
- #9,195
- “inning” frequency rank
- 58011
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | inching | inning |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of inch | A period of play in which members of a visiting baseball team attempt to hit a baseball pitched by the opposing home team until three players are called out, followed by a similar attempt by members of the home baseball team against the visiting team's pitching. There are nine or more innings in a regulation baseball game. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set inching and inning apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: inching is /ˈɪnt͡ʃɪŋ/ while inning is /ˈɪnɪŋ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58011, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
inching is recorded at frequency rank #48,816, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɪnt͡ʃɪŋ/. inning is at rank #9,195, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪnɪŋ/.
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 58011, this pair ranks #115,459 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of inching vs inning
Shared letters: gin. Private to "inching": ch. Private to "inning": -.
"inching" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "inning" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "inching" and "inning" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "inching" or "inning"?
Remembering inching vs inning
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “inching”; for a noun, it's “inning”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “inching” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable