# sparing vs sparingly

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sparing
*adjective · IPA /ˈspɛəɹɪŋ/ · frequency rank #28,735*
Prudent and restrained in the use of resources; careful, economical or frugal.

### sparingly
*adverb · frequency rank #28,381*
In a sparing manner; with frugality, moderation, scantiness, reserve, forbearance, or the like; sparsely.

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