# formally vs formerly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### formally
*adverb · IPA /ˈfɔː.mə.li/ · frequency rank #7,011*
In a formal manner.

### formerly
*adverb · IPA /ˈfɔɹmɚli/ · frequency rank #4,760*
at some time in the past

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