# kidding vs killing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### kidding
*verb · IPA /ˈkɪdɪŋ/ · frequency rank #5,139*
present participle and gerund of kid

### killing
*adjective · IPA /ˈkɪl.ɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,397*
That literally deprives of life; lethal, deadly, fatal.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kidding-vs-killing