Which to use
“loaning” is a verb and “loathing” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,905
- “loaning” frequency rank
- #23,589
- “loathing” frequency rank
- 68494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loaning | loathing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of loan | Sense of revulsion, distaste, detestation, extreme hatred or dislike. |
Where the eye mixes loaning and loathing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. loaning runs 7 letters (CVVCVCC) against loathing's 8 (CVVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: loaning vs loathing
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loaning is /ˈləʊnɪŋ/ while loathing is /ˈləʊðɪŋ/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loaning is recorded at frequency rank #44,905, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈləʊnɪŋ/. loathing is at rank #23,589, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈləʊðɪŋ/.
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 68494, this pair ranks #58,638 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of loaning vs loathing
Shared letters: agilno. Private to "loaning": -. Private to "loathing": ht.
"loaning" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC · "loathing" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "loaning" for "loathing" ever safe?
Frequency check: "loaning" vs "loathing" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "loaning" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "loathing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #58,638 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "loaning" and "loathing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loaning 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 #58,638 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.