Which to use
“cognitive” is an adjective and “cognitively” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,946
- “cognitive” frequency rank
- #48,665
- “cognitively” frequency rank
- 54611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cognitive | cognitively |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Relating to the part of mental functions that deals with logic, as opposed to affective which deals with emotions. | Relating to thinking (cognition). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cognitive and cognitively apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: cognitive is /ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.tɪv/ while cognitively is /ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.tɪv.li/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “cognitive” sits inside “cognitively”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cognitive is recorded at frequency rank #5,946, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.tɪv/. cognitively is at rank #48,665, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈkɒɡ.nɪ.tɪv.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 54611, this pair ranks #139,724 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cognitive vs cognitively
Shared letters: ceginotv. Private to "cognitive": -. Private to "cognitively": ly.
"cognitive" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "cognitively" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cognitive ← ccognitive · cgonitive · coggnitive · cogintive · cogniitve · cognitiev · cognitivve · cognittive
- cognitively ← ccognitively · cgonitively · coggnitively · cogintively · cogniitvely · cognitievly · cognitivelly · cognitivelyy
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cognitive" and "cognitively" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cognitive" or "cognitively"?
Remembering cognitive vs cognitively
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cognitive”; for an adverb, it's “cognitively”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cognitive” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable