Which to use
“actuality” is a noun and “actually” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,268
- “actuality” frequency rank
- #302
- “actually” frequency rank
- 25570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | actuality | actually |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The state of existing; existence. | In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set actuality and actually apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
actuality and actually form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
actuality is recorded at frequency rank #25,268, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌækt͡ʃuˈælɪti/. actually is at rank #302, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈæk.t͡ʃʊ.ə.li/.
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 25570, this pair ranks #393,302 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "actuality" and "actually" be used interchangeably?
Remembering actuality vs actually
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “actuality”; for an adverb, it's “actually”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “actuality” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable