Which to use
“unduly” is an adverb and “unruly” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,875
- “unduly” frequency rank
- #26,294
- “unruly” frequency rank
- 56169
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unduly | unruly |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Undeservedly; in a way that is not warranted. | Wild; uncontrolled. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unduly and unruly apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unduly is /ʌnˈdjuːli/ while unruly is /ʌnˈɹuːli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “unduly” becomes r in “unruly”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unduly is recorded at frequency rank #29,875, classified as anadv, pronounced /ʌnˈdjuːli/. unruly is at rank #26,294, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈɹuːli/.
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 56169, this pair ranks #128,187 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of unduly vs unruly
Shared letters: lnuy. Private to "unduly": d. Private to "unruly": r.
"unduly" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "unruly" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unduly" and "unruly" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unduly" or "unruly"?
Remembering unduly vs unruly
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “unduly”; for an adjective, it's “unruly”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unduly” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable