# sharpen vs sharply

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sharpen
*verb · IPA /ˈʃɑɹpən/ · frequency rank #23,990*
To make sharp.

### sharply
*adverb · IPA /ˈʃɑɹpli/ · frequency rank #8,484*
In a sharp manner, in various senses.

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