Which to use
“proportional” is an adjective and “proportionally” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,045
- “proportional” frequency rank
- #31,302
- “proportionally” frequency rank
- 44347
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | proportional | proportionally |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | At a constant ratio (to). Two magnitudes (numbers) are said to be proportional if the second varies in a direct relation arithmetically to the first. Symbol: ∝. | In proportion; in due degree; adapted relatively. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set proportional and proportionally apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
proportional and proportionally form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “proportional” sits inside “proportionally” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44347, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
proportional is recorded at frequency rank #13,045, classified as anadj. proportionally is at rank #31,302, tagged as anadv, pronounced /pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəli/.
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 44347, this pair ranks #231,489 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "proportional" and "proportionally" be used interchangeably?
Remembering proportional vs proportionally
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “proportional”; for an adverb, it's “proportionally”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “proportional” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable