What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Puzzled vs Puzzling - What's the difference?

puzzled | puzzling |

As adjectives the difference between puzzled and puzzling

is that puzzled is confused or perplexed while puzzling is difficult to understand or explain; enigmatic or confusing; perplexing.

As verbs the difference between puzzled and puzzling

is that puzzled is past tense of puzzle while puzzling is present participle of lang=en.

As a noun puzzling is

time spent pondering something confusing.

puzzled

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Confused or perplexed.
  • * 1848 , , Vanity Fair , Bradbury and Sons, 11:
    • (...) when the day of the departure came, between her two customs of laughing and crying, Miss Sedley was greatly puzzled how to act.
  • * 1920 , (Herman Cyril McNeile), Bulldog Drummond Chapter 1
    • Once or twice he scratched his head, and stared out of the window with a puzzled frown. And each time, after a brief survey of the other side of Half Moon Street, he turned back again to the breakfast table with a grin.

    Derived terms

    * puzzledly * puzzledness

    Verb

    (head)
  • (puzzle)

    • puzzling

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Difficult to understand or explain; enigmatic or confusing; perplexing.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Time spent pondering something confusing.