# darken vs darkly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### darken
*verb · IPA /ˈdɑɹkən/ · frequency rank #33,602*
To make dark or darker by reducing light.

### darkly
*adverb · IPA /ˈdɑːkli/ · frequency rank #29,989*
With insufficient light for easy discernment or comprehension.

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