Which to use
“shorten” is a verb and “shorting” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,718
- “shorten” frequency rank
- #46,774
- “shorting” frequency rank
- 64492
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shorten | shorting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To make shorter; to abbreviate. | short selling |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set shorten and shorting apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: shorten is averb and shortinganoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shorten is recorded at frequency rank #17,718, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈʃɔːtn̩/. shorting is at rank #46,774, tagged as anoun.
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 64492, this pair ranks #77,454 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of shorten vs shorting
Shared letters: hnorst. Private to "shorten": e. Private to "shorting": gi.
"shorten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "shorting" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shorten" and "shorting" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "shorten" or "shorting"?
Remembering shorten vs shorting
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “shorten”; for a noun, it's “shorting”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “shorten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable