lashingvslastingWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lashing is a noun, lasting is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lashing” is a noun and “lasting” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,536
“lashing” frequency rank
#5,979
“lasting” frequency rank
33515
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lashing lasting
Definition Something used to tie something or lash it to something. Persisting for an extended period of time.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lashing and lasting apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
lashing
7 ch
lasting

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lashing is /ˈlæʃɪŋ/ while lasting is /ˈlɑːstɪŋ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - h in “lashing” becomes t in “lasting”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33515, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lashing is recorded at frequency rank #27,536, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæʃɪŋ/. 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 33515, this pair ranks #328,775 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lashing vs lasting

Shared letters: agilns. Private to "lashing": h. Private to "lasting": t.

"lashing" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "lasting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lashingalshing · lahsing · lashhing · lashign · lashingg · lashinng · lashnig · lasihng
  • lastingalsting · lasitng · lassting · lastign · lastingg · lastinng · lastnig · lastting

Frequency comparison

lashing#27,536
lasting#5,979

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lashing" and "lasting" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lashing" is a noun and "lasting" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lashing" or "lasting"?
"lasting" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,979 in our English list, against #27,536 for "lashing". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lashing vs lasting

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lashing”; for an adjective, it's “lasting”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lashing” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list