Which to use
“clumsily” is an adverb and “clumsy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,986
- “clumsily” frequency rank
- #16,199
- “clumsy” frequency rank
- 63185
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clumsily | clumsy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a clumsy manner or way; without care or finesse, often hurriedly or awkwardly. | Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clumsily and clumsy apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: clumsily is anadverb and clumsyanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63185, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clumsily is recorded at frequency rank #46,986, classified as anadv. clumsy is at rank #16,199, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈklʌmzi/.
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 63185, this pair ranks #84,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of clumsily vs clumsy
Shared letters: clmsuy. Private to "clumsily": i. Private to "clumsy": -.
"clumsily" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV · "clumsy" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clumsily" and "clumsy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "clumsily" or "clumsy"?
Remembering clumsily vs clumsy
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “clumsily”; for an adjective, it's “clumsy”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “clumsily” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable