# penetrating vs penetration

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### penetrating
*adjective · IPA /ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪtɪŋ/ · frequency rank #18,914*
Able to pierce or penetrate

### penetration
*noun · IPA /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #11,086*
The act of penetrating something.

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