# proportional vs proportionate

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### proportional
*adjective · frequency rank #13,045*
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: ∝.

### proportionate
*adjective · IPA /pɹəˈpɔːʃənət/ · frequency rank #27,606*
In proportion; proportional; commensurable.

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