parsingvspartingWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“parsing” and “parting” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,628
“parsing” frequency rank
#17,918
“parting” frequency rank
52546
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature parsing parting
Definition The act or process in which an agent (person or computer) parses something (a text, a program). The act of parting or dividing; division; separation.

Where the eye mixes parsing and parting

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
parsing
7 ch
parting

Visual trap between parsing and parting

A purely visual mix-up. parsing (/ˈpɑː.zɪŋ/) and parting (/ˈpɑɹtɪŋ/) 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 - s in “parsing” becomes t in “parting”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

parsing is recorded at frequency rank #34,628, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɑː.zɪŋ/. parting is at rank #17,918, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɑɹtɪŋ/.

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 52546, this pair ranks #156,133 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of parsing vs parting

Shared letters: aginpr. Private to "parsing": s. Private to "parting": t.

"parsing" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "parting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • parsingaprsing · parisng · parrsing · parsign · parsingg · parsinng · parsnig · parssing
  • partingaprting · paritng · parrting · partign · partingg · partinng · partnig · partting

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "parsing" and "parting" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ˈpɑː.zɪŋ/ versus /ˈpɑɹtɪŋ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "parsing" or "parting"?
"parting" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,918 in our English list, against #34,628 for "parsing". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "parsing" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "parting" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #156,133 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "parsing" and "parting" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "parsing vs perusing". 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 #156,133 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list