Planing Vs Planning, What’s The Correct Spelling To Use?

I’m not too fond of interruptions when I’m writing something, especially when I’m so immersed in the content and stumble upon a word I know for sure how to spell but spelled an unfamiliar way. When that happens, and I find out I have been using the wrong one the whole time, it is so infuriating!

Is it planning or planing? Both spellings are correct. But depending on the context, it would require one spelling instead of the other. “Planning” is a verb and is used to decide or make plans for something; it can also be used as a noun and it will be more of a process of preparation of something. “Planing” is also a verb and refers to flying without wings or wings gliding.

Is It A Variation Or A Misspelling?

It is neither. Both words exist in the English language but have different definitions. Understandably, someone may have been using the wrong one as they were unaware of the other’s existence.

“Planning”

Planning is a word that came from a mix of French and Italian from the late 17th century. It means to set up the ground before starting something. The use of this word peaked around the ’80s; casually, the term prepping gained popularity around the same time, making it more popular than its predecessor.

Planning is the process of preparing to achieve a desired goal. It involves many things such as:

1. Collection & Analysis. We must identify the problem, do an inventory of resources, analyze the resource data, and determine the objectives.
2. Decision Support. The neurological part comes to life by formulating, evaluating, and selecting thoughts and actions to achieve that goal.
3. Application & Evaluation. Where we implement and evaluate the plan.

Planning is necessary with everything in life. If you run a business, have a job, go to school, or even manage a household; planning is a must! If there’s no planning before a project, it’s due to failure. Here are a few examples of what lack of planning can do in different areas.

• Restaurants. Something as simple as scheduling the dining staff to make sure there won’t be any unnecessary wait time or not offering certain dishes based on the food that is already ready to use; can cause many losses, from money and customers.
• Classrooms. When teachers don’t plan their lessons, many things can happen, to name a few. It can make the class go without ever achieving their objectives. Realize there are not enough necessary materials or equipment for the whole class. Finish the course before the time allotted for it and have nothing else to keep the students busy or, even worse, run out of time to complete the class.
• Grocery shopping. When people go to the supermarket without having a list of the food for the house, they end up spending way more than intended. Having a budget allows the person to buy what it’s “needed” and not whatever it comes into view.
• Constructions. Poor planning in the construction sector, starting with cost estimations and the duration of the project, causes a major loss. When the team in charge of a construction project doesn’t book the machinery to use or requests the necessary permits, the delays can affect the overall success of the project, even causing the investors to abandon it altogether.

Planning is also something that is required now from employees. As part of the competencies that they must bring to the table, planning is key. Companies expect employees to have some skills that can assist them in performing according to their goals.

Skills such as adaptability to changes, task management, production, time management; go hand to hand with what planning entitles. Unfortunately, in this world, we can only stand out from the crowd if we work more than the rest; then we get more work as a reward.

How can people use the word planning? You can use it as a noun or a verb. Some examples are as follows.

• All of this comes from poor planning.
• Financial planning is the key to success.
• I want to be part of the planning process.

“Planing”

“Planing” is a word that came from a mix of French, Latin, and English from the early 17th century. Suggested by the french plan(e), the term was introduced to differentiate the geometrical senses expressed by plain. Plane or planning gives a sense of flatness.

The use of this word peaked around the 1920s, most likely because commercial air travel began just a few years before, in 1914.

Thought planing is commonly used in conversations involving planes; there are other topics of interest in planing.

• Wood planing is a technique used to flatten, reduce thickness, and provide a smooth surface to the wood. There are hand planes or woodworking machinery as well.
• Root planing is an attempt to smooth rough surfaces and remove bacteria from the mouth. It is also known as conventional periodontal therapy, deep-cleaning of buildup on the roots of the teeth under the gum.

How To Avoid Confusion?

Let’s say that you need to talk about planning, but maybe you don’t remember the correct spelling or don’t want to sound too repetitive. Use synonyms. Once you have a word that means exactly or nearly the same as the initial choice, it will do wonders for your writing.

These so-called synonyms are essential for both the writer and the reader. From the writer’s point of view, it is vital to use synonyms to improve their oral skills and broaden their vocabulary, therefore affecting their writing in a positive way. Depending on your target audience, you may have to use certain words meant to be read and understood after a certain age.

Writing a book for children is going to be different than for a teenager. The more they read, the more words they will know and will look for something a little bit more challenging. From the reader’s point of view, synonyms are crucial because it improves the quality of the story by making the narrative different from others. It could be harder to read but in a good way.

If you are looking for words similar to planning that can be used in many different contexts, these might interest you:

1. I’ll be the one in charge of organizing the event.
2. They are arranging the books by genre.
3. He is already drafting the proposal.
4. He’s been orchestrating this from the moment you walked through that door.
5. Foreseeing everything is a result of my anxiety.
6. I’m outlining what we will need for the next quarter.

But if you are looking for words similar to planing, these are the ones for you:

1. I saw the ducks gliding.
2. You can use ice to start skimming the grease of the soup.
3. I’m smoothing the wood; it’s going to look fabulous.

To use planning or planing, what is the question? Both, neither, it depends on the context. In the dictionary, they both exist and have different definitions.

Conclusion

If you ever find yourself at a crossroads when it comes to the word you are supposed to use, play it safe, get a spell checker, use Grammarly. Don’t have access to any of those tools? use a synonym. Not only will you be saving a lot of time, but you’ll also have more room to play. Don’t remember any synonyms? Ask someone else? Someone must have seen this word before.

There will always be a chance to correct something, turn it back, or forget it, as long as it is not written on paper. Once it is, make sure you use the correct word so your audience understands exactly what you are saying. Some people say hope is the last thing to lose; to me, is credibility.

Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.