Revised as of
8 Jan 2023
The word confusion vary versus very is an heterograph (a subset of homophone).
I’m trying to assume that mixing up vary and very is simply a typo, but in case it’s not . . .
Vary is strictly a verb meaning to differ, modify, change, diversify, to diverge from the usual, and more.
Very is both an adjective that emphasizes the precision, the extreme, the real and an adverb of degree which intensifies that the following description [the adjective] applies without qualification.
Note that many editors hate the use of very. They prefer that you choose a single word that creates a maximum effect. Instead of very angry, use furious, enraged, heated, resentful, foam at the mouth, and so many more choices that more precisely describes the emotion of your character.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Vary | Very |
|---|---|
Architecture in Karlovy Vary, Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, is in the public domain, via PxFuel. — The rooftops vary in this city. |
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A Very Fancy Chicken by Terry Lucas is under the CC BY 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, intransitive & transitive
Third person present verb: varies |
Adjective; Adverb |
| Verb, intransitive: Differ in size, amount, degree, or nature from something else of the same general class
To diverge
[Mathematics] To be subject to change [Biology] To exhibit variation Verb, transitive:
To avoid or relieve from uniformity or monotony
[Music] To alter (a melody or theme) by modification or embellishments without changing its identity |
Adjective: Actual
Adverb:
|
| Examples: | |
| Verb, intransitive: The properties vary in price. Your skin’s moisture content varies according to climatic conditions. The age at which children are ready to read varies. The landscape begins to vary as one drives south. Demand for certain products varies with the season. It does vary from the norm. “Strictly speaking, two objects or variables ‘vary indirectly’ means that the product of the two items is a constant” (H). “A cline occurs when populations of a given species vary gradually across an ecological gradient” (Population). Verb, transitive: It’s essential to vary one’s methods. The orchestra varied last night’s program with one new selection. Ideally, one should vary one’s diet. One can vary a theme using a wide range of different meters and tempos. I’ll wear each dress time and again, varying the look with different accessories. As a nice touch, Zoch includes two cork balls with different diameters which varies the skill level of the game significantly. Union members are angry at proposals by Stagecoach to vary pay between different depots. |
Adjective: Those were his very words. He might be phoning her at this very moment. He was transformed before our very eyes. I was enthralled from the very beginning of the book. The blow was struck at the very back of the skull. The very thought of drink made him feel sick. We praise the very God of Heaven. He experienced the very vengeance of the gods. Adverb: He was very large. Very quickly, he caught the woman. She prefers the very best quality. It was his very first time. He finally had his very own car. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: variable, various, varying Adverb: varyingly Determiner: various Noun: variable, variableness, variation, varier, variousness, varying Verb: intervary, intervaried, intervarying, overvary, overvaried, overvarying |
Adjective: verier, veriest [Obsolete] |
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English from the Old French varier or the Latin variare, is from varius meaning diverse. | Middle English, as an adjective in the sense real, genuine, from the Old French verai, based on the Latin verus meaning true. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Vary versus Very
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: vary
H, Peter. “what Does Varies Indirectly Mean in Math?” Wyzant. 13 June 2014. Web. 23 Sept 2021. <https://www.wyzant.com/resources/answers/37337/what_does_varies_indirectly_mean_in_math&g5;.
Lexico.com: vary
“Population Genetics: Genetic Variation.” Lumen Learning. n.d. Web. 23 Sept 2021. <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/population-genetics/>.
Steineman, Kathy. “222 Ways to Avoid “Very” in Writing: A Word List for Writers.” Kathy Steineman.com. n.d. Web. 24 Sept 2021. <https://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/how-to-avoid-very-in-writing/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Bankton Cottage – Open Garden by Mark is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
