Which to use
“intense” is an adjective and “intensely” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,698
- “intense” frequency rank
- #14,572
- “intensely” frequency rank
- 18270
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intense | intensely |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering. | In an intense manner. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intense and intensely apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: intense is /ɪnˈtɛns/ while intensely is /ɪnˈtɛnsli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “intense” sits inside “intensely”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18270, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intense is recorded at frequency rank #3,698, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈtɛns/. intensely is at rank #14,572, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ɪnˈtɛnsli/.
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 18270, this pair ranks #446,003 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of intense vs intensely
Shared letters: einst. Private to "intense": -. Private to "intensely": ly.
"intense" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "intensely" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "intense" and "intensely" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "intense" or "intensely"?
Remembering intense vs intensely
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “intense”; for an adverb, it's “intensely”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “intense” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable