Which to use
“unilateral” is an adjective and “unilaterally” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,454
- “unilateral” frequency rank
- #24,942
- “unilaterally” frequency rank
- 43396
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unilateral | unilaterally |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Done by one side only. | In a unilateral or one-sided way. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unilateral and unilaterally apart are highlighted. They share 10 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: unilateral is anadjective and unilaterallyanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unilateral” sits inside “unilaterally”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43396, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unilateral is recorded at frequency rank #18,454, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl/. unilaterally is at rank #24,942, 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 43396, this pair ranks #240,366 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unilateral vs unilaterally
Shared letters: aeilnrtu. Private to "unilateral": -. Private to "unilaterally": y.
"unilateral" · 10 letters · shape VCVCVCVCVC · "unilaterally" · 12 letters · shape VCVCVCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- unilateral ← nuilateral · uinlateral · unialteral · unilaetral · unilatearl · unilaterall · unilaterla · unilaterral
- unilaterally ← nuilaterally · uinlaterally · unialterally · unilaetrally · unilatearlly · unilaterallyy · unilateraly · unilateralyl
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unilateral" and "unilaterally" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unilateral" or "unilaterally"?
Remembering unilateral vs unilaterally
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “unilateral”; for an adverb, it's “unilaterally”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unilateral” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable