Writing Tip 373: “To Riffle” or “To Rifle”?

If you want to get technical, you can “riffle” through the pages while you’re in the process of “rifling” through a collection of documents. Would a thief pause to appreciate the linguistic proximity? Probably not. But you can at least enjoy it.
This isn’t a gun debate. It’s a verb debate. And neither of them has anything to do with firearms.
There is a difference between “riffling” and “rifling” through the pages of your favorite writing reference book. Both are possible. But I’m guessing there’s only one that you mean.
And seriously, if you’re confused, please get those guns out of your head. That’s not where I’m going here. More