# sparing vs starving

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sparing
*adjective · IPA /ˈspɛəɹɪŋ/ · frequency rank #28,735*
Prudent and restrained in the use of resources; careful, economical or frugal.

### starving
*verb · IPA /ˈstɑɹvɪŋ/ · frequency rank #9,824*
present participle and gerund of starve

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