Which to use
“informal” is an adjective and “informally” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,682
- “informal” frequency rank
- #24,795
- “informally” frequency rank
- 33477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | informal | informally |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not formal or ceremonious. | In an irregular or informal manner; without the usual forms. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set informal and informally apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: informal is anadjective and informallyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “informal” sits inside “informally”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
informal is recorded at frequency rank #8,682, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/. informally is at rank #24,795, 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 33477, this pair ranks #329,111 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of informal vs informally
Shared letters: afilmnor. Private to "informal": -. Private to "informally": y.
"informal" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "informally" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- informal ← ifnormal · infformal · infomral · inforaml · informall · informla · informmal · inforrmal
- informally ← ifnormally · infformally · infomrally · inforamlly · informallyy · informaly · informalyl · informlaly
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "informal" and "informally" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "informal" or "informally"?
Remembering informal vs informally
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “informal”; for an adverb, it's “informally”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “informal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable