Which to use
“unfair” is an adjective and “unfairly” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,465
- “unfair” frequency rank
- #18,212
- “unfairly” frequency rank
- 23677
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unfair | unfairly |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not fair. | In a manner that is unfair. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unfair and unfairly apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: unfair is anadjective and unfairlyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unfair” sits inside “unfairly”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unfair is recorded at frequency rank #5,465, classified as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈfɛə(ɹ)/. unfairly is at rank #18,212, 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 23677, this pair ranks #407,556 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of unfair vs unfairly
Shared letters: afinru. Private to "unfair": -. Private to "unfairly": ly.
"unfair" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "unfairly" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unfair" and "unfairly" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unfair" or "unfairly"?
Remembering unfair vs unfairly
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “unfair”; for an adverb, it's “unfairly”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unfair” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable