# plain vs plainly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### plain
*adjective · IPA /pleɪn/ · frequency rank #3,446*
Flat, level.

### plainly
*adverb · IPA /ˈpleɪnli/ · frequency rank #17,694*
In a plain manner; simply; basically.

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