Which to use
“arbitrarily” is an adverb and “arbitrary” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,722
- “arbitrarily” frequency rank
- #8,890
- “arbitrary” frequency rank
- 30612
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arbitrarily | arbitrary |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In an arbitrary manner. | Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set arbitrarily and arbitrary apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
arbitrarily and arbitrary 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 2 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 30612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arbitrarily is recorded at frequency rank #21,722, classified as anadv. arbitrary is at rank #8,890, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/.
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 30612, this pair ranks #353,123 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arbitrarily" and "arbitrary" be used interchangeably?
Remembering arbitrarily vs arbitrary
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “arbitrarily”; for an adjective, it's “arbitrary”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “arbitrarily” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable