# startling vs sterling

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### startling
*verb · IPA /ˈstɑɹ.tl̩.ɪŋ/ · frequency rank #17,252*
present participle and gerund of startle

### sterling
*noun · IPA /ˈstɜːlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #5,842*
An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans.

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