leading and leaving differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. leading means “indicating the most important performer or role”. leaving means “the act of departing”. leaving is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈlidɪŋ/
1.adj.indicating the most important performer or role
“the leading man”
2.adj.greatest in importance or degree or significance or achievement
“our greatest statesmen”
3.adj.going or proceeding or going in advance; showing the way
“we rode in the leading car”
/ˈlivɪŋ/
1.n.the act of departing
| leading | leaving | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlidɪŋ/ | /ˈlivɪŋ/ |
| Said | LEE-ding | LEE-ving |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun | noun |
| Senses | 6 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | prima, star, starring | departure, going, going away |
Full entry for leading · Full entry for leaving · More comparisons