# cruel vs cruelly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### cruel
*adjective · IPA /ˈkɹuːəl/ · frequency rank #5,869*
Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.

### cruelly
*adverb · IPA /ˈkɹuːəli/ · frequency rank #30,747*
In a cruel manner.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cruel-vs-cruelly