Which to use
“logging” and “longing” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,232
- “logging” frequency rank
- #14,989
- “longing” frequency rank
- 25221
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | logging | longing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of log | present participle and gerund of long |
Where the eye mixes logging and longing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between logging and longing
A purely visual mix-up. logging (/lɒɡ.ɪŋ/) and longing (/ˈlɒŋɪŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - g in “logging” becomes n in “longing”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
logging is recorded at frequency rank #10,232, classified as averb, pronounced /lɒɡ.ɪŋ/. longing is at rank #14,989, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈlɒŋɪŋ/.
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 25221, this pair ranks #395,987 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of logging vs longing
Shared letters: gilno. Private to "logging": -. Private to "longing": -.
"logging" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "longing" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "logging" and "longing" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "logging" or "longing"?
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 "logging" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "longing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #395,987 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "logging" and "longing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "longing 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 #395,987 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.