# offing vs owing

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### offing
*noun · IPA /ˈɒfɪŋ/ · frequency rank #46,667*
The area of the sea in which a ship can be seen in the distance from land, excluding the parts nearest the shore, and beyond the anchoring ground.

### owing
*adjective · IPA /ˈəʊ.ɪŋ/ · frequency rank #10,739*
Still to be paid; owed as a debt.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-owing