Which to use
“varying” and “vying” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,517
- “varying” frequency rank
- #32,235
- “vying” frequency rank
- 39752
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | varying | vying |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of vary | present participle and gerund of vie |
Where the eye mixes varying and vying
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. varying runs 7 letters (CVCVVCC) against vying's 5 (CVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses varying with vying
A purely visual mix-up. varying (/ˈvɛəɹiɪŋ/) and vying (/ˈvaɪ.ɪŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39752, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
varying is recorded at frequency rank #7,517, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈvɛəɹiɪŋ/. vying is at rank #32,235, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈvaɪ.ɪŋ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 39752, this pair ranks #273,851 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of varying vs vying
Shared letters: ginvy. Private to "varying": ar. Private to "vying": -.
"varying" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "vying" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "varying" for "vying" ever safe?
Frequency check: "varying" vs "vying" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "varying" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vying" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #273,851 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "varying" and "vying" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vexing vs vying". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #273,851 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.