Which to use
“notorious” is an adjective and “notoriously” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,218
- “notorious” frequency rank
- #17,911
- “notoriously” frequency rank
- 27129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | notorious | notoriously |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Senses with an unfavourable connotation. | In a notorious or notable manner; as is commonly known. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set notorious and notoriously apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: notorious is /nə(ʊ)ˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əs/ while notoriously is /nəˈtɔːɹɪəsli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “notorious” sits inside “notoriously”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
notorious is recorded at frequency rank #9,218, classified as anadj, pronounced /nə(ʊ)ˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əs/. notoriously is at rank #17,911, tagged as anadv, pronounced /nəˈtɔːɹɪəsli/.
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 27129, this pair ranks #381,391 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of notorious vs notoriously
Shared letters: inorstu. Private to "notorious": -. Private to "notoriously": ly.
"notorious" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVVVC · "notoriously" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- notorious ← nnotorious · nootrious · notoirous · notoriosu · notoriouss · notoriuos · notoroius · notorrious
- notoriously ← nnotoriously · nootriously · notoirously · notoriosuly · notorioulsy · notoriouslly · notoriouslyy · notorioussly
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "notorious" and "notoriously" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "notorious" or "notoriously"?
Remembering notorious vs notoriously
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “notorious”; for an adverb, it's “notoriously”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “notorious” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable