Which to use
“especial” is an adjective and “especially” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,235
- “especial” frequency rank
- #618
- “especially” frequency rank
- 40853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | especial | especially |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Exceptional in importance or significance; special. | In a special manner; specially. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set especial and especially apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: especial is /ɛsˈpɛʃəl/ while especially is /ɪˈspɛʃ.(ə.)li/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “especial” sits inside “especially”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
especial is recorded at frequency rank #40,235, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɛsˈpɛʃəl/. especially is at rank #618, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ɪˈspɛʃ.(ə.)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 40853, this pair ranks #263,816 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of especial vs especially
Shared letters: aceilps. Private to "especial": -. Private to "especially": y.
"especial" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC · "especially" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- especial ← epsecial · esepcial · espceial · especail · especcial · especiall · especila · espeical
- especially ← epsecially · esepcially · espceially · especailly · especcially · especiallyy · especialy · especialyl
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "especial" and "especially" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "especial" or "especially"?
Remembering especial vs especially
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “especial”; for an adverb, it's “especially”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “especial” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable