# sting vs stink

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sting
*noun · IPA /ˈstɪŋ/ · frequency rank #9,674*
A bump left on the skin after having been stung.

### stink
*verb · IPA /stɪŋk/ · frequency rank #15,922*
To have a strong bad smell.

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