def conflicting(a, b):
	"""
	Totals the number of conflicting characters between two strings

	Parameters
	----------
	a: str
	b: str

	Returns
	-------
	int
	"""
	comp = zip(a, b)
	diff = abs(len(a)-len(b))
	d = sum(1 for x,y in comp if x != y)
	return d + diff