# piling vs pining

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### pining
*verb · IPA /ˈpaɪnɪŋ/ · frequency rank #39,480*
present participle and gerund of pine

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