predictablevspredictablyWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: predictable is a adjective, predictably is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“predictable” is an adjective and “predictably” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,258
“predictable” frequency rank
#29,047
“predictably” frequency rank
39305
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature predictable predictably
Definition Able to be predicted. In a manner that can be expected or anticipated.

Letter map: predictable vs predictably

Shared letters muted; letters that set predictable and predictably apart highlighted. Shared run: 10.

11 ch
predictable
11 ch
predictably

Role in the sentence - predictable and predictably

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: predictable is anadjective and predictablyanadverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - e in “predictable” becomes y in “predictably”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39305, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

predictable is recorded at frequency rank #10,258, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɹɪˈdɪktəbl̩/. predictably is at rank #29,047, 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 39305, this pair ranks #277,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of predictable vs predictably

Shared letters: abcdeilprt. Private to "predictable": -. Private to "predictably": y.

"predictable" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCCV  ·  "predictably" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • predictableperdictable · ppredictable · prdeictable · predcitable · preddictable · predicatble · predicctable · predictabble
  • predictablyperdictably · ppredictably · prdeictably · predcitably · preddictably · predicatbly · predicctably · predictabbly

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "predictable" and "predictably" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "predictable" is an adjective and "predictably" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "predictable" vs "predictably" - which ranks higher?
"predictable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,258 in our English list, against #29,047 for "predictably". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "predictable" and "predictably". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "predictable" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "predictably" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #277,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #277,906 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list