# scaring vs sparring

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### scaring
*verb · IPA /ˈskɛː.ɹɪŋ/ · frequency rank #21,055*
present participle and gerund of scare

### sparring
*verb · IPA /ˈspɑːɹɪŋ/ · frequency rank #25,215*
present participle and gerund of spar

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