Which to use
“relatively” is an adverb and “relativity” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,228
- “relatively” frequency rank
- #18,676
- “relativity” frequency rank
- 20904
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | relatively | relativity |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a relative manner; with reference to environment or competition; contextually or comparatively. | The state of being relative to something else; the absence of universally applicable rules or standards; relativism; (countable) an instance of this. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set relatively and relativity apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
relatively and relativity form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20904, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
relatively is recorded at frequency rank #2,228, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv.li/. relativity is at rank #18,676, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɛl.əˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/.
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 20904, this pair ranks #427,827 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "relatively" and "relativity" be used interchangeably?
Remembering relatively vs relativity
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “relatively”; for a noun, it's “relativity”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “relatively” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable