# packing vs padding

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### packing
*verb · IPA /ˈpakɪŋ/ · frequency rank #6,496*
present participle and gerund of pack

### padding
*verb · IPA /ˈpædɪŋ/ · frequency rank #23,054*
present participle and gerund of pad

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