Which to use
“lacing” is a verb and “lasting” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,579
- “lacing” frequency rank
- #5,979
- “lasting” frequency rank
- 52558
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lacing | lasting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of lace | Persisting for an extended period of time. |
Where the eye mixes lacing and lasting
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lacing and lasting
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lacing is /ˈleɪsɪŋ/ while lasting is /ˈlɑːstɪŋ/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52558, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lacing is recorded at frequency rank #46,579, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈleɪsɪŋ/. lasting is at rank #5,979, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈlɑːstɪŋ/.
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 52558, this pair ranks #156,037 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lacing vs lasting
Shared letters: agiln. Private to "lacing": c. Private to "lasting": st.
"lacing" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "lasting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lacing" and "lasting" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lacing" vs "lasting" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lacing" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lasting" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #156,037 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lacing" and "lasting" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lacing vs loring". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #156,037 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.