Which to use
“waning” is a verb and “winking” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,334
- “waning” frequency rank
- #36,397
- “winking” frequency rank
- 63731
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | waning | winking |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of wane | The act of someone who winks. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set waning and winking apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: waning is averb and winkinganoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63731, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
waning is recorded at frequency rank #27,334, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈweɪ.nɪŋ/. winking is at rank #36,397, tagged as anoun.
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 63731, this pair ranks #81,380 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of waning vs winking
Shared letters: ginw. Private to "waning": a. Private to "winking": k.
"waning" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "winking" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "waning" and "winking" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "waning" or "winking"?
Remembering waning vs winking
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “waning”; for a noun, it's “winking”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “waning” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable