# stinging vs stinking

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### stinging
*adjective · IPA /ˈstɪŋɪŋ/ · frequency rank #26,617*
Having the capacity to sting.

### stinking
*adjective · IPA /ˈstɪŋkɪŋ/ · frequency rank #27,658*
Having a pungent smell.

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