# scaling vs smiling

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### scaling
*verb · IPA /ˈskeɪlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #12,496*
present participle and gerund of scale

### smiling
*adjective · IPA /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #5,628*
That smiles or has a smile.

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