# cannot vs canny

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### cannot
*verb · IPA /ˈkænɒt/ · frequency rank #802*
Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc).

### canny
*adjective · IPA /ˈkæni/ · frequency rank #33,162*
Careful, prudent, cautious.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cannot-vs-canny