# main vs mainly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### main
*adjective · IPA /meɪn/ · frequency rank #574*
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

### mainly
*adverb · IPA /ˈmeɪnli/ · frequency rank #2,490*
Chiefly; for the most part.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/main-vs-mainly