Which to use
“smartly” is an adverb and “smarts” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,766
- “smartly” frequency rank
- #30,974
- “smarts” frequency rank
- 62740
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | smartly | smarts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a smart manner. | intelligence; smartness |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set smartly and smarts apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: smartly is anadverb and smartsanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62740, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
smartly is recorded at frequency rank #31,766, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈsmɑː(ɹ)tli/. smarts is at rank #30,974, tagged as anoun.
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 62740, this pair ranks #86,772 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of smartly vs smarts
Shared letters: amrst. Private to "smartly": ly. Private to "smarts": -.
"smartly" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "smarts" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "smartly" and "smarts" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "smartly" or "smarts"?
Remembering smartly vs smarts
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “smartly”; for a noun, it's “smarts”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “smartly” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable