Which to use
“quarterly” is an adjective and “quarters” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,270
- “quarterly” frequency rank
- #4,881
- “quarters” frequency rank
- 12151
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quarterly | quarters |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Occurring once every quarter year (three months); taking place quarter-yearly. | plural of quarter. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quarterly and quarters apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: quarterly is anadjective and quartersanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quarterly is recorded at frequency rank #7,270, classified as anadj. quarters is at rank #4,881, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwɔɹtɚz/.
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 12151, this pair ranks #483,151 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of quarterly vs quarters
Shared letters: aeqrtu. Private to "quarterly": ly. Private to "quarters": s.
"quarterly" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCV · "quarters" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quarterly" and "quarters" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "quarterly" or "quarters"?
Remembering quarterly vs quarters
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “quarterly”; for a noun, it's “quarters”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quarterly” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable