Which to use
“clarify” is a verb and “clarity” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,909
- “clarify” frequency rank
- #8,260
- “clarity” frequency rank
- 17169
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clarify | clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity. | The state or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clarify and clarity apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: clarify is /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/ while clarity is /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - f in “clarify” becomes t in “clarity”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clarify is recorded at frequency rank #8,909, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/. clarity is at rank #8,260, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/.
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 17169, this pair ranks #453,176 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of clarify vs clarity
Shared letters: acilry. Private to "clarify": f. Private to "clarity": t.
"clarify" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "clarity" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clarify" and "clarity" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "clarify" or "clarity"?
Remembering clarify vs clarity
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “clarify”; for a noun, it's “clarity”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “clarify” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable