# scathing vs scratching

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### scathing
*verb · IPA /ˈskeɪðɪŋ/ · frequency rank #30,215*
present participle and gerund of scathe

### scratching
*verb · IPA /ˈskɹæt͡ʃɪŋ/ · frequency rank #13,807*
present participle and gerund of scratch

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