ceiling and sealing are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. ceiling means “the overhead upper surface of a covered space”. sealing means “the act of treating something to make it repel water”. ceiling is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsilɪŋ/
1.n.the overhead upper surface of a covered space
“he hated painting the ceiling”
2.n.(meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds
3.n.an upper limit on what is allowed
“he put a ceiling on the number of women who worked for him”
| ceiling | sealing | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsilɪŋ/ | /ˈsilɪŋ/ |
| Said | SEE-ling | SEE-ling |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | waterproofing |
Full entry for ceiling · Full entry for sealing · More comparisons
/ˈsilɪŋ/
1.n.the act of treating something to make it repel water