Vary or very?
vary is a verb meaning “To change with time or a similar parameter”; very is an adverb meaning “To a great extent or degree”. Use vary as a verb and very as an adverb. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) very is about 56 times as common as vary.
What is the difference between vary and very?
| vary | very | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun | adverb, adjective |
| Meaning | To change with time or a similar parameter To institute a change in, from a current state; to modify | To a great extent or degree Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true True, real, actual |
| Example | He varies his magic tricks so as to minimize the possibility that any given audience member will see the same trick twice | That dress is very you |
| Forms | varies, varying, varied | verier, veriest |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvɛəɹi/ /ˈvɛːɹɪj/ | /ˈvɛɹi/ /ˈveɹi/ /ˈvɛɾe/ |
| In writing | 18 times per million words | 1,000 times per million words |
Sources: vary and very in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of vary and very
vary
- 1
To change with time or a similar parameter
He varies his magic tricks so as to minimize the possibility that any given audience member will see the same trick twice
- 2
To institute a change in, from a current state; to modify
You should vary your diet. Eating just bread will do you harm in the end
- 3
Not to remain constant: to change with time or a similar parameter
His mood varies by the hour
- 4
To display differences
The sprouting tendency of potatoes varies between cultivars, years and places of growing
- 5
To be or act different from the usual
I'm not comfortable with 3.Nc3 in the Caro-Kann, so I decided to vary and play exd5
- 6
To make of different kinds; to make different from one another; to diversify; to variegate
- 7
To embellish; to change fancifully; to present under new aspects, as of form, key, measure, etc. See variation
very
- 1
To a great extent or degree
That dress is very you
- 2
True, real, actual
the fierce hatred of a very woman
- 3
Conforming to fact, reality or rule; true
- 4
The same; identical
He proposed marriage in the same restaurant, at the very table where they first met
- 5
Used to firmly establish that nothing else surpasses in some respect
He was the very best runner there
- 6
With limiting effect: mere
The very idea of climbing the ladder brings me out in a sweat
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, vary or very?
vary appears 18 times per million words; very 1,000 times per million words.
vary 18 times per million wordsvery 1,000 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search vary vs very?
“vary vs very” is searched about 880 times a month on Google and 40 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“very vs vary”, “vary or very”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.