Which to use
“entirely” is an adverb and “entirety” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,937
- “entirely” frequency rank
- #11,374
- “entirety” frequency rank
- 13311
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entirely | entirety |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To the full or entire extent. | The whole; the complete or amount. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entirely and entirety apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: entirely is /ɪnˈtaɪəli/ while entirety is /ɪnˈtaɪ.ə.ɹ(ɪ).ti/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “entirely” becomes t in “entirety”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13311, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entirely is recorded at frequency rank #1,937, classified as anadv, pronounced /ɪnˈtaɪəli/. entirety is at rank #11,374, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈtaɪ.ə.ɹ(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 13311, this pair ranks #476,558 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entirely vs entirety
Shared letters: einrty. Private to "entirely": l. Private to "entirety": -.
"entirely" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "entirety" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entirely" and "entirety" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entirely" or "entirety"?
Remembering entirely vs entirety
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “entirely”; for a noun, it's “entirety”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entirely” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable