Missing or Lacking? Common English Mistake mp4

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]If there's very little salt in your dish, would you say "Salt is missing" or "The dish is lacking salt"? Missing means something that should be there is not there. It's completely absent. It can refer to a person or a thing. It can also refer to a feeling. The boy is missing from the class. My keys are missing. An ingredient is missing from the dish. He's missing his family. Here we are talking about feeling, but lacking is different. It means something is there, but it is insufficient. He is lacking confidence. The report is lacking detail. So, to remember, missing means something is completely absent, and lacking means [clears throat] something is insufficient. Now, you tell me, "The salt is missing" or "The dish is lacking salt"? Which one would you choose? Let me know your answer in the comments.