Which to use
“uncomfortable” is an adjective and “uncomfortably” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,280
- “uncomfortable” frequency rank
- #29,134
- “uncomfortably” frequency rank
- 34414
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uncomfortable | uncomfortably |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not comfortable; causing discomfort. | In an uncomfortable manner. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set uncomfortable and uncomfortably apart are highlighted. They share 12 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: uncomfortable is anadjective and uncomfortablyanadverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - e in “uncomfortable” becomes y in “uncomfortably”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
uncomfortable is recorded at frequency rank #5,280, classified as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈkʌmf.tə.bl̩/. uncomfortably is at rank #29,134, 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 34414, this pair ranks #320,994 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of uncomfortable vs uncomfortably
Shared letters: abcflmnortu. Private to "uncomfortable": e. Private to "uncomfortably": y.
"uncomfortable" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCCV · "uncomfortably" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- uncomfortable ← nucomfortable · ucnomfortable · unccomfortable · uncmofortable · uncofmortable · uncomffortable · uncomforatble · uncomforrtable
- uncomfortably ← nucomfortably · ucnomfortably · unccomfortably · uncmofortably · uncofmortably · uncomffortably · uncomforatbly · uncomforrtably
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "uncomfortable" and "uncomfortably" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "uncomfortable" or "uncomfortably"?
Remembering uncomfortable vs uncomfortably
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “uncomfortable”; for an adverb, it's “uncomfortably”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “uncomfortable” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable