Which to use
“figurative” is an adjective and “figuratively” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,753
- “figurative” frequency rank
- #29,655
- “figuratively” frequency rank
- 54408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | figurative | figuratively |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Of use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures. | In a figurative manner. |
Letter map: figurative vs figuratively
Shared letters muted; letters that set figurative and figuratively apart highlighted. Shared run: 10.
Grammar separator: figurative vs figuratively
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: figurative is anadjective and figurativelyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “figurative” sits inside “figuratively”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54408, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
figurative is recorded at frequency rank #24,753, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/. figuratively is at rank #29,655, tagged as anadv.
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 54408, this pair ranks #141,304 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of figurative vs figuratively
Shared letters: aefgirtuv. Private to "figurative": -. Private to "figuratively": ly.
"figurative" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCV · "figuratively" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- figurative ← ffigurative · fgiurative · figgurative · figruative · figuartive · figuraitve · figuratiev · figurativve
- figuratively ← ffiguratively · fgiuratively · figguratively · figruatively · figuartively · figuraitvely · figuratievly · figurativelly
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "figurative" for "figuratively" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "figurative" or "figuratively" show up more?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "figurative" and "figuratively".
- Full dictionary entry for "figurative" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "figuratively" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #141,304 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #141,304 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.