Which to use
“remaining” and “retailing” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,364
- “remaining” frequency rank
- #25,905
- “retailing” frequency rank
- 28269
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | remaining | retailing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of remain | present participle and gerund of retail |
Where the eye mixes remaining and retailing
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between remaining and retailing
A purely visual mix-up. remaining (/ɹɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/) and retailing (/ˈɹiːteɪliŋ/) 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 28269, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
remaining is recorded at frequency rank #2,364, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/. retailing is at rank #25,905, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈɹiːteɪliŋ/.
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 28269, this pair ranks #372,378 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of remaining vs retailing
Shared letters: aeginr. Private to "remaining": m. Private to "retailing": lt.
"remaining" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCVCC · "retailing" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "remaining" for "retailing" ever safe?
Which is more common, "remaining" or "retailing"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "remaining" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retailing" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #372,378 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "remaining" and "retailing" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retailing vs retaking". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #372,378 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.