shaking
/ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/
noun
Common
1.n.the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
2.n.a shaky motion
“the shaking of his fingers as he lit his pipe”
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shaking and shaping differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. shaking means “the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements”. shaping means “any process serving to define the shape of something”. shaking is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/
1.n.the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
2.n.a shaky motion
“the shaking of his fingers as he lit his pipe”
/ˈʃeɪpɪŋ/
| shaking | shaping | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/ | /ˈʃeɪpɪŋ/ |
| Said | SHAY-king | SHAY-ping |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 2 | 3 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | defining |
Full entry for shaking · Full entry for shaping · More comparisons
1.n.any process serving to define the shape of something
2.n.the act of fabricating something in a particular shape
3.adj.forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning
“a formative influence”