Which to use
“unambiguous” is an adjective and “unambiguously” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,468
- “unambiguous” frequency rank
- #41,445
- “unambiguously” frequency rank
- 74913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unambiguous | unambiguously |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clear, and having no uncertainty or ambiguity. | In a manner that is not ambiguous; leaving no doubt; clearly |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unambiguous and unambiguously apart are highlighted. They share 11 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: unambiguous is anadjective and unambiguouslyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unambiguous” sits inside “unambiguously”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unambiguous is recorded at frequency rank #33,468, classified as anadj. unambiguously is at rank #41,445, tagged as anadv.
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 74913, this pair ranks #34,799 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of unambiguous vs unambiguously
Shared letters: abgimnosu. Private to "unambiguous": -. Private to "unambiguously": ly.
"unambiguous" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCVCVVVC · "unambiguously" · 13 letters · shape VCVCCVCVVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- unambiguous ← nuambiguous · uanmbiguous · unabmiguous · unambbiguous · unambgiuous · unambigguous · unambigouus · unambiguosu
- unambiguously ← nuambiguously · uanmbiguously · unabmiguously · unambbiguously · unambgiuously · unambigguously · unambigouusly · unambiguosuly
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unambiguous" and "unambiguously" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unambiguous" or "unambiguously"?
Remembering unambiguous vs unambiguously
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “unambiguous”; for an adverb, it's “unambiguously”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unambiguous” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable