Which to use
“individually” is an adverb and “individuals” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,303
- “individually” frequency rank
- #1,638
- “individuals” frequency rank
- 9941
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | individually | individuals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | As individuals, separately, independently. | plural of individual |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set individually and individuals apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
individually and individuals 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9941, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
individually is recorded at frequency rank #8,303, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒ(u)əli/. individuals is at rank #1,638, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒuəlz/.
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 9941, this pair ranks #494,805 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "individually" and "individuals" be used interchangeably?
Remembering individually vs individuals
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “individually”; for a noun, it's “individuals”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “individually” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable