# picking vs piling

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### picking
*verb · IPA /ˈpɪkɪŋ/ · frequency rank #3,383*
present participle and gerund of pick

### piling
*noun · IPA /ˈpaɪlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #19,665*
A structural support comprising a length of wood, steel, or other construction material.

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