Which to use
“independent” is an adjective and “independently” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,249
- “independent” frequency rank
- #6,481
- “independently” frequency rank
- 7730
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | independent | independently |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free. | In an independent manner. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set independent and independently apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
independent and independently form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “independent” sits inside “independently” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
independent is recorded at frequency rank #1,249, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌɪn.dɪˈpɛn.dənt/. independently is at rank #6,481, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəntli/.
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 7730, this pair ranks #505,827 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "independent" and "independently" be used interchangeably?
Remembering independent vs independently
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “independent”; for an adverb, it's “independently”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “independent” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable