Which to use
“penning” and “planing” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,952
- “penning” frequency rank
- #39,030
- “planing” frequency rank
- 78982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | penning | planing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of pen | present participle and gerund of plane |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set penning and planing apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. penning (/ˈpɛnɪŋ/) and planing (/ˈpleɪnɪŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
penning is recorded at frequency rank #39,952, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈpɛnɪŋ/. planing is at rank #39,030, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈpleɪnɪŋ/.
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 78982, this pair ranks #23,241 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of penning vs planing
Shared letters: ginp. Private to "penning": e. Private to "planing": al.
"penning" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "planing" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "penning" and "planing" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "penning" or "planing"?
Remembering penning vs planing
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “penning” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable