Which to use
“licking” and “lifting” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,784
- “licking” frequency rank
- #6,490
- “lifting” frequency rank
- 21274
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | licking | lifting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act by which something is licked. | The action or process by which something is lifted; elevation |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set licking and lifting apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. licking (/ˈlɪkɪŋ/) and lifting (/ˈlɪf.tɪŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21274, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
licking is recorded at frequency rank #14,784, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɪkɪŋ/. lifting is at rank #6,490, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɪf.tɪŋ/.
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 21274, this pair ranks #425,067 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of licking vs lifting
Shared letters: giln. Private to "licking": ck. Private to "lifting": ft.
"licking" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "lifting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "licking" and "lifting" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "licking" or "lifting"?
Remembering licking vs lifting
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “licking” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable