Which to use
“ably” is an adverb and “alm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,013
- “ably” frequency rank
- #43,024
- “alm” frequency rank
- 86037
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ably | alm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In an able manner; with great ability. | Something given to the poor as charity: a singular gift of alms. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ably and alm apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ably is /ˈeɪ.bli/ while alm is /ɑːm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86037, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ably is recorded at frequency rank #43,013, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈeɪ.bli/. alm is at rank #43,024, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɑːm/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 86037, this pair ranks #9,508 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ably vs alm
Shared letters: al. Private to "ably": by. Private to "alm": m.
"ably" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "alm" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ably ← abbly · ablyy · abyl · alby
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ably" and "alm" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ably" or "alm"?
Remembering ably vs alm
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “ably”; for a noun, it's “alm”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ably” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable