Which to use
“ironic” is an adjective and “ironing” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,621
- “ironic” frequency rank
- #25,429
- “ironing” frequency rank
- 35050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ironic | ironing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony. | The act of pressing clothes with an iron, such as a steam iron. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ironic and ironing apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: ironic is anadjective and ironinganoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ironic is recorded at frequency rank #9,621, classified as anadj, pronounced /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/. ironing is at rank #25,429, tagged as anoun.
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 35050, this pair ranks #315,340 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ironic vs ironing
Shared letters: inor. Private to "ironic": c. Private to "ironing": g.
"ironic" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "ironing" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ironic" and "ironing" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ironic" or "ironing"?
Remembering ironic vs ironing
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ironic”; for a noun, it's “ironing”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ironic” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable