Which to use
“inadequate” is an adjective and “inadequately” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,348
- “inadequate” frequency rank
- #47,114
- “inadequately” frequency rank
- 56462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | inadequate | inadequately |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not adequate; lacking in quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose. | In an inadequate manner. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set inadequate and inadequately apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: inadequate is anadjective and inadequatelyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “inadequate” sits inside “inadequately”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
inadequate is recorded at frequency rank #9,348, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈædəkwɪt/. inadequately is at rank #47,114, 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 56462, this pair ranks #126,122 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of inadequate vs inadequately
Shared letters: adeinqtu. Private to "inadequate": -. Private to "inadequately": ly.
"inadequate" · 10 letters · shape VCVCVCVVCV · "inadequately" · 12 letters · shape VCVCVCVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- inadequate ← iandequate · inaddequate · inadeqaute · inadeqquate · inadequaet · inadequatte · inadequtae · inadeuqate
- inadequately ← iandequately · inaddequately · inadeqautely · inadeqquately · inadequaetly · inadequatelly · inadequatelyy · inadequateyl
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "inadequate" and "inadequately" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "inadequate" or "inadequately"?
Remembering inadequate vs inadequately
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “inadequate”; for an adverb, it's “inadequately”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “inadequate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable