Which to use
“indulging” is a verb and “insulting” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,098
- “indulging” frequency rank
- #11,237
- “insulting” frequency rank
- 36335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | indulging | insulting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of indulge | Containing insult, or having the intention of insulting. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indulging and insulting apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: indulging is /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/ while insulting is /ɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
indulging is recorded at frequency rank #25,098, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒɪŋ/. insulting is at rank #11,237, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/.
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 36335, this pair ranks #304,033 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of indulging vs insulting
Shared letters: gilnu. Private to "indulging": d. Private to "insulting": st.
"indulging" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "insulting" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "indulging" and "insulting" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "indulging" or "insulting"?
Remembering indulging vs insulting
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “indulging”; for an adjective, it's “insulting”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “indulging” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable