# underlining vs underlying

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### underlining
*verb · frequency rank #42,468*
present participle and gerund of underline

### underlying
*adjective · frequency rank #5,464*
lying underneath

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