Which to use
“winning” is a verb and “winnings” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,132
- “winning” frequency rank
- #21,425
- “winnings” frequency rank
- 22557
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | winning | winnings |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of win | plural of winning |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set winning and winnings apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: winning is /ˈwɪnɪŋ/ while winnings is /ˈwɪnɪŋz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “winning” sits inside “winnings”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
winning is recorded at frequency rank #1,132, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈwɪnɪŋ/. winnings is at rank #21,425, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈwɪnɪŋz/.
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 22557, this pair ranks #415,710 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of winning vs winnings
Shared letters: ginw. Private to "winning": -. Private to "winnings": s.
"winning" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "winnings" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "winning" and "winnings" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "winning" or "winnings"?
Remembering winning vs winnings
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “winning”; for a noun, it's “winnings”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “winning” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable