Which to use
“verify” is a verb and “very” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,623
- “verify” frequency rank
- #106
- “very” frequency rank
- 8729
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verify | very |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To substantiate or prove the truth of something. | To a great extent or degree. |
Where the eye mixes verify and very
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between verify and very
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verify is /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/ while very is /ˈvɛɹi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8729, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verify is recorded at frequency rank #8,623, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/. very is at rank #106, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈvɛɹi/.
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 8729, this pair ranks #501,024 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verify vs very
Shared letters: ervy. Private to "verify": fi. Private to "very": -.
"verify" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "very" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verify" for "very" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "verify" or "very" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verify" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "very" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #501,024 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verify" and "very" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verna vs very". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #501,024 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.