Giving is the correct spelling, while giveing is a common misspelling that incorrectly adds an extra e before the -ing ending. If you’ve come across both “giving” and “giveing” and wondered which one is correct, the answer is simple: giving is the standard English spelling. The word is commonly used when talking about providing something, donating, offering, handing something to someone, or performing an act of generosity.
The giving vs giveing distinction comes down to a basic English spelling rule. When the verb give ends in a silent e, that final e is usually dropped before adding -ing, producing giving, not giveing. The same pattern appears in words such as making, taking, writing, and coming, although English spelling rules have some important exceptions.
In this guide, you’ll learn whether “giving” or “giveing” is correct, why “giveing” is wrong, how the verb “give” changes when -ing is added, and how to use “giving” correctly in sentences. You’ll also see clear examples and a simple comparison table to help you remember the correct spelling.
By the end, you’ll know exactly why “giving” is correct and “giveing” is incorrect, so you can avoid this common spelling mistake in your writing.
Giving vs Giveing: Quick Answer
The answer is straightforward:
| Spelling | Correct? | Explanation |
| giving | ✅ Yes | Standard present participle and gerund of give |
| giveing | ❌ No | Incorrectly formed by adding -ing without removing the final e |
Giving is the only standard spelling for the -ing form of give.
For example:
- Correct: She is giving me some useful advice.
- Incorrect: She is giveing me some useful advice.
- Correct: He enjoys giving gifts to his friends.
- Incorrect: He enjoys giveing gifts to his friends.
- Correct: They are giving the students another opportunity.
- Incorrect: They are giveing the students another opportunity.
Major dictionaries list giving as the present participle of give. Cambridge Dictionary, for example, identifies give as an irregular verb with gave as its past tense, given as its past participle, and giving as its present participle.
Why Giving Is the Correct Spelling
The spelling giving comes from the base verb give plus the suffix -ing.
At first glance, it might seem logical to write:
give + ing = giveing
English spelling does not work that way here. The final silent e is removed before the -ing ending is attached.
The process is:
give → giv + ing → giving
The important point is that the final e in give is not retained.
This is the same basic spelling pattern seen in several familiar verbs:
| Base verb | Correct -ing form |
| make | making |
| take | taking |
| write | writing |
| use | using |
| have | having |
| give | giving |
The pattern helps explain why giveing looks plausible but is still incorrect.
How Give Becomes Giving
The verb give ends in a final e that is not pronounced as a separate vowel sound. When the -ing suffix is added, the final e is dropped.
Therefore:
give + ing → giving
The result has five letters before the ending is considered as a separate suffix: g-i-v-i-n-g.
The pronunciation also stays consistent with the ordinary pronunciation of give. Cambridge gives the pronunciation of give as /ɡɪv/ and identifies giving as its present participle.
Consider these examples:
She is giving her brother a present.
We are giving the team more time.
They are giving away old books.
I am giving this project my full attention.
In each case, giving is spelled without the original final e.
Why Giveing Is Incorrect
Giveing results from applying the suffix mechanically without changing the base word.
A learner might reason:
- give
- add -ing
- giveing
That approach works poorly with verbs ending in silent e.
Compare:
- make → making, not makeing
- write → writing, not writeing
- take → taking, not takeing
- give → giving, not giveing
The incorrect form is therefore not an alternative spelling of giving. It is simply a spelling error.
Giving Meaning and Definition
Giving has several grammatical roles because it is an -ing form of the verb give.
The meaning depends on how it functions in a sentence.
The basic verb give can mean to provide something, offer something, allow something, cause something, perform an action, or communicate something, among other uses. Cambridge Dictionary lists numerous senses of give, including providing something to someone, producing an effect, allowing someone an opportunity, and performing an action.
Giving as a Verb Form
In many sentences, giving is the present participle of give.
It commonly appears with forms of be to create progressive tenses.
Examples include:
- I am giving you another chance.
- She is giving a presentation.
- They are giving away free samples.
- We were giving the matter careful consideration.
- He was giving his full attention to the speaker.
In these sentences, giving describes an action that is in progress.
For example:
Maria is giving a speech.
Here, is is the auxiliary verb and giving is the present participle.
The same form appears in other progressive constructions:
| Tense | Example |
| Present progressive | She is giving a speech. |
| Past progressive | She was giving a speech. |
| Future progressive | She will be giving a speech. |
| Present perfect progressive | She has been giving speeches all week. |
The spelling giving does not change across these constructions.
Giving as a Gerund
An -ing form can also function as a noun. When giving behaves this way, it is commonly called a gerund.
For example:
Giving can make people feel connected to their community.
Here, giving is the subject of the sentence.
Other examples include:
- Giving requires generosity.
- Giving someone honest feedback can be difficult.
- Giving is sometimes harder than receiving.
- Giving your time can be just as valuable as giving money.
- Giving thoughtful advice requires careful listening.
In these examples, giving names an activity rather than describing an action currently in progress.
That distinction is useful because the same spelling can serve different grammatical purposes.
Giving as an Adjective
The word giving can also appear as an adjective.
For example:
She has a very giving personality.
Here, giving describes someone who willingly provides help, time, attention, money, or other forms of support.
Common combinations include:
- a giving person
- a giving nature
- a giving community
- a giving spirit
The meaning is related to generosity rather than simply describing the physical act of transferring something.
Giving vs Giveing Examples
Seeing the two forms side by side makes the distinction easy to remember.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I am giveing you a chance. | I am giving you a chance. |
| She is giveing him advice. | She is giving him advice. |
| They are giveing away free samples. | They are giving away free samples. |
| We are giveing the students extra time. | We are giving the students extra time. |
| He enjoys giveing gifts. | He enjoys giving gifts. |
| The company is giveing customers a discount. | The company is giving customers a discount. |
| I appreciate you giveing me another opportunity. | I appreciate you giving me another opportunity. |
| She kept giveing him useful suggestions. | She kept giving him useful suggestions. |
The pattern is consistent: giving is correct in every example.
Examples of Giving in Everyday Sentences
Here are some natural examples covering different meanings of the word:
- I am giving my sister a birthday present.
- The teacher is giving the class extra time.
- She enjoys giving advice to new employees.
- They are giving away free samples.
- He is giving a presentation tomorrow.
- We are giving the issue serious consideration.
- The new evidence is giving investigators another lead.
- Giving someone enough time can make a big difference.
- Giving generously can strengthen a community.
- She has always been a giving person.
Notice that the spelling remains giving regardless of the meaning or grammatical role.
The Spelling Rule Behind Giving
The key rule is simple:
When many verbs ending in a silent final “e” take -ing, the final “e” is dropped.
That gives us forms such as:
- love → loving
- move → moving
- hope → hoping
- write → writing
- drive → driving
- make → making
- take → taking
- give → giving
The final e disappears before -ing.
Drop the Final E Before Adding -ing
For give, the process can be represented like this:
give
↓ remove final e
giv
↓ add -ing
giving
This is why giveing is not the standard form.
The same principle makes these pairs easy to recognize:
| Base word | Wrong form | Correct form |
| give | giveing | giving |
| make | makeing | making |
| take | takeing | taking |
| write | writeing | writing |
| drive | driveing | driving |
| use | useing | using |
The spelling change does not mean the base verb has changed into a completely unrelated word. It is simply the normal formation of its -ing form.
Similar Words That Follow the Same Pattern
Several common verbs follow the same pattern as give.
Make becomes making:
She is making dinner.
Take becomes taking:
He is taking notes.
Write becomes writing:
I am writing an email.
Use becomes using:
They are using a new system.
Move becomes moving:
The company is moving to a larger office.
Give becomes giving:
She is giving a presentation.
This comparison is particularly useful for learners who are tempted to retain the final e.
Words That Keep the Final E
The rule should not be treated as an absolute instruction to remove every final e before adding an ending.
English spelling has exceptions and special cases. Some words retain an e when an -ing form is created because removing it could affect pronunciation, meaning, or recognition.
For example, dye becomes dyeing, not dying, because dying is already a different word associated with death.
Likewise, singe becomes singeing, helping distinguish it from singing.
These examples show why English spelling rules need to be applied according to the particular word.
For give, however, there is no such complication:
give → giving
That is the standard form.
Giving vs Giveing in a Sentence
Understanding the spelling is only part of using giving correctly. You also need to understand the sentence structures in which it appears.
Giving Something to Someone
One of the most common patterns is:
give + object + recipient
For example:
She is giving her friend a gift.
The same idea can be expressed as:
She is giving a gift to her friend.
Giving Someone Something
The verb can take two objects:
The teacher is giving the students extra time.
Here:
- the students = indirect object
- extra time = direct object
Another example is:
My parents are giving me useful advice.
The word giving describes the action taking place.
Giving Something Away
The phrasal verb give away means to provide something without expecting payment or, depending on context, to reveal information.
Examples:
The store is giving away free samples.
His expression was giving away his surprise.
Giving Someone a Chance
Another very common construction is:
She is giving him another chance.
This means she is allowing him another opportunity.
Cambridge Dictionary lists give among verbs used to allow someone an opportunity or right, with examples involving giving someone a chance.
Giving vs Given vs Gave
A common source of confusion is not just giving vs giveing, but the relationship among give, gave, given, and giving.
These are different forms of the same irregular verb.
| Form | Grammatical role | Example |
| give | Base form | I give her advice. |
| gives | Third-person singular present | He gives good advice. |
| gave | Simple past | She gave me a gift. |
| given | Past participle | She has given me a gift. |
| giving | Present participle/gerund | She is giving me a gift. |
Cambridge lists gave as the past tense, given as the past participle, and giving as the present participle of give.
Give
Use give for the base form.
Examples:
I give my dog fresh water every morning.
They give students plenty of practice.
The base form also follows modal verbs:
You should give him another opportunity.
We can give them more information.
Gave
Gave is the simple past form.
Examples:
She gave me a book yesterday.
He gave the team some useful advice.
They gave us directions.
You do not normally use gave after have, has, or had.
Incorrect:
She has gave me the information.
Correct:
She has given me the information.
Given
Given is the past participle.
It commonly appears with auxiliary verbs such as have, has, and had.
Examples:
I have given him the details.
She has given us enough time.
They had given the project considerable attention.
Given can also appear as a preposition-like expression meaning “considering” or “taking into account.”
For example:
Given the current situation, we should reconsider the schedule.
This is why searches involving “given the current situation” are related to the broader give word family but do not mean the same thing as giving.
Giving or Given: How to Choose
The choice between giving and given usually depends on the grammatical structure and the time or function being expressed.
Compare:
She is giving me the report.
This describes an action in progress.
Now compare:
She has given me the report.
This describes an action that has already been completed, using the present perfect.
Another construction is:
Given the circumstances, the decision makes sense.
Here, given does not mean “currently handing something to someone.” It means something closer to considering or taking into account.
| Sentence | Meaning |
| She is giving me the report. | The action is happening now. |
| She gave me the report. | The action happened in the past. |
| She has given me the report. | The action has been completed. |
| Given the circumstances, we should wait. | Considering the circumstances |
This distinction prevents a common mistake: treating every form of give as interchangeable.
Give, Gave, Given, and Giving: Complete Verb Forms
Here is the basic verb pattern:
| Verb form | Example |
| give | I give him the book. |
| gives | She gives him the book. |
| gave | She gave him the book yesterday. |
| given | She has given him the book. |
| giving | She is giving him the book. |
The verb give is irregular because its past tense and past participle are not formed by simply adding -ed.
You do not say:
- gived
- giveing
Instead, the standard forms are:
- give
- gave
- given
- giving
Cambridge’s dictionary entries consistently identify these forms, including giving as the present participle.
Why the Forms Matter
Knowing the complete verb family makes the spelling of giving easier to remember.
Instead of treating giving as an isolated word, connect it to:
give → gave → given → giving
For example:
I give presentations at work.
Yesterday, I gave a presentation.
I have given several presentations this year.
I am giving another presentation tomorrow.
The meaning changes with the grammatical form, but the relationship between the words remains clear.
Common Mistakes With Giving
Writing Giveing Instead of Giving
This is the main spelling mistake addressed by this comparison.
Incorrect:
She is giveing me another opportunity.
Correct:
She is giving me another opportunity.
Remember:
give → giving
The final e disappears.
Confusing Giving With Given
These forms serve different grammatical functions.
Incorrect:
I am given you the information.
Correct:
I am giving you the information.
The first sentence incorrectly uses the past participle where the present participle is needed.
By contrast:
I have given you the information.
is correct because have takes the past participle given.
Using Gave After Have or Has
Another frequent mistake involves the past forms.
Incorrect:
She has gave me permission.
Correct:
She has given me permission.
The correct pattern is:
has/have + given
not:
has/have + gave
Adding the Wrong Ending to Give
Avoid forming giveing by simply attaching -ing to the complete base word.
The correct process is:
give → remove e → add ing → giving
That small spelling change is the key to the entire giving vs giveing question.
How to Remember the Spelling of Giving
A simple memory trick is:
Give loses its e when it starts giving.
Think of the transformation as:
GIVE − E + ING = GIVING
This is much easier to remember than memorizing giving as an unrelated spelling.
You can also compare it with other familiar verbs:
- make → making
- take → taking
- write → writing
- drive → driving
- give → giving
A Quick Spelling Test
Try completing these forms:
- give → ______
- make → ______
- take → ______
- write → ______
- drive → ______
The answers are:
- give → giving
- make → making
- take → taking
- write → writing
- drive → driving
If you instinctively wrote giveing, remember that the same spelling pattern applies to make, take, and write.
Giving vs Giveing: Grammar and Usage Comparison
The difference can be summarized in one table:
| Feature | Giving | Giveing |
| Standard English spelling | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Based on | give + -ing | Incorrect formation |
| Present participle | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Gerund | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Used in progressive tenses | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Appears in dictionaries as the standard form | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Appropriate in formal writing | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Appropriate in academic writing | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
The distinction is not a matter of American versus British spelling. Giving is the standard spelling in both varieties of English.
Giving in Formal Writing
Use giving in professional, academic, business, and formal writing whenever the grammatical context calls for it.
Examples:
The report recommends giving employees additional training.
The committee is giving the proposal further consideration.
Giving students clear instructions can reduce confusion.
There is no reason to replace giving with another spelling simply because the text is formal. The standard form is already giving.
Frequently Asked Questions About Giving vs Giveing
Is it giving or giveing?
It is giving.
The spelling giveing is incorrect in standard English. The final e in give is dropped before -ing is added.
give → giving
Why is giveing spelled incorrectly?
Giveing is incorrect because the final e in give is removed when the -ing suffix is added.
The correct formation is:
give + ing → giving
not:
give + ing → giveing
What is the correct spelling of giving?
The correct spelling is giving.
It contains no e between the v and i:
g-i-v-i-n-g
The form g-i-v-e-i-n-g is incorrect.
What is the difference between giving and given?
Giving is the present participle or gerund form of give, while given is the past participle.
Examples:
She is giving me the information.
She has given me the information.
The first uses the progressive construction. The second uses the present perfect.
What is the past tense of give?
The past tense of give is gave.
Example:
She gave me the book yesterday.
The past participle is given:
She has given me the book.
Cambridge Dictionary identifies gave as the past tense and given as the past participle.
What are the forms of the verb give?
The main forms are:
- give — base form
- gives — third-person singular present
- gave — past tense
- given — past participle
- giving — present participle/gerund
Why does give become giving?
The final silent e is dropped before the -ing ending is added.
Therefore:
give → giv + ing → giving
The same basic pattern appears in words such as make → making and write → writing.
Is giveing ever correct?
No. Giveing is not the standard spelling of the -ing form of give.
In ordinary English writing, use giving.
Is giving a noun or a verb?
It can be either, depending on the sentence.
As a verb:
She is giving a presentation.
As a gerund functioning as a noun:
Giving can be rewarding.
It can also function adjectivally:
She has a giving personality.
Final Answer: Giving or Giveing?
The correct spelling is giving, not giveing.
The reason is the standard spelling change that occurs when many verbs ending in a silent e take the -ing suffix. The final e is dropped:
give → giving
The incorrect version giveing simply retains the final e before adding -ing.
It also helps to remember the complete verb family:
| Form | Word | Example |
| Base | give | I give advice. |
| Present, third person | gives | She gives advice. |
| Past | gave | She gave advice. |
| Past participle | given | She has given advice. |
| Present participle/gerund | giving | She is giving advice. |
So, whenever you are deciding between giving vs giveing, choose giving.
Quick memory rule:
Give drops the e before -ing: give → giving.
Once you connect giving to the broader pattern of make → making, take → taking, and write → writing, the correct spelling becomes much easier to remember.
