# rotten vs rotting

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### rotten
*adjective · IPA /ˈɹɒtn̩/ · frequency rank #9,531*
Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and other infectious agents.

### rotting
*verb · frequency rank #18,684*
present participle and gerund of rot

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