Which to use
“perfecting” and “perfection” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,595
- “perfecting” frequency rank
- #7,260
- “perfection” frequency rank
- 34855
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | perfecting | perfection |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The bringing of something to a state of perfection. | The quality or state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing substandard remains; the highest attainable state or degree of excellence. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set perfecting and perfection apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
perfecting and perfection are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34855, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
perfecting is recorded at frequency rank #27,595, classified as anoun. perfection is at rank #7,260, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/.
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 34855, this pair ranks #317,048 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of perfecting vs perfection
Shared letters: cefinprt. Private to "perfecting": g. Private to "perfection": o.
"perfecting" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC · "perfection" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- perfecting ← eprfecting · pefrecting · perefcting · perfceting · perfeccting · perfecitng · perfectign · perfectingg
- perfection ← eprfection · pefrection · perefction · perfcetion · perfecction · perfeciton · perfecsion · perfectino
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "perfecting" and "perfection" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "perfecting" or "perfection"?
Remembering perfecting vs perfection
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 “perfecting” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable