Which to use
“broader” is an adjective and “broadly” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,993
- “broader” frequency rank
- #9,290
- “broadly” frequency rank
- 16283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | broader | broadly |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | comparative form of broad: more broad | Widely and openly. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set broader and broadly apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: broader is /ˈbɹɔːdə/ while broadly is /ˈbɹɔːd.li/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
broader is recorded at frequency rank #6,993, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈbɹɔːdə/. broadly is at rank #9,290, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈbɹɔːd.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 16283, this pair ranks #458,757 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of broader vs broadly
Shared letters: abdor. Private to "broader": e. Private to "broadly": ly.
"broader" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "broadly" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "broader" and "broadly" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "broader" or "broadly"?
Remembering broader vs broadly
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “broader”; for an adverb, it's “broadly”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “broader” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable