swearing and sweating differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. swearing means “profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger”. sweating means “the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid”. sweating is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈswɛɹɪŋ/
1.n.profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
“expletives were deleted”
2.n.a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury
/ˈswɛtɪŋ/
| swearing | sweating | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈswɛɹɪŋ/ | /ˈswɛtɪŋ/ |
| Said | SWER-ing | SWET-ing |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 8 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 2 | 1 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | curse, curse word, expletive | perspiration, diaphoresis, sudation |
Full entry for swearing · Full entry for sweating · More comparisons
1.n.the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
“perspiration is a homeostatic process”