Which to use
“random” is a noun and “randomly” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,590
- “random” frequency rank
- #7,487
- “randomly” frequency rank
- 10077
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | random | randomly |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance. | In a random manner. |
Where the eye mixes random and randomly
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between random and randomly
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: random is /ˈɹændəm/ while randomly is /ˈɹændm̩li/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “random” sits inside “randomly”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
random is recorded at frequency rank #2,590, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹændəm/. randomly is at rank #7,487, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈɹændm̩li/.
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 10077, this pair ranks #494,153 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of random vs randomly
Shared letters: admnor. Private to "random": -. Private to "randomly": ly.
"random" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "randomly" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "random" and "randomly" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "random" or "randomly" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "random" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "randomly" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #494,153 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "random" and "randomly" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Randal vs random". Nearby pair
- 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 #494,153 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.