What does “actually” mean?
- 1
adverbused to say what is really true, often when it is surprising
The test was actually easier than I expected.
- 2
adverbused to correct someone politely or add new information
Actually, my name is Sarah, not Sara.
Actually at a glance
- Part of speech
- adverb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈæktʃuəli/ · AK-choo-uh-lee
How to use “actually” correctly
“Actually” does not mean “now” or “currently” as similar words do in many languages. For that, use “currently” or “at the moment”.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- really
- in fact
Word family
- actual
- act
“actually” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- else adverbA2in addition to or different from the person, thing or place already mentioned
- especially adverbA2more than usual or more than others; in particular
- even adverbA2used to show that something is surprising or more than expected
- exactly adverbA2completely correct, with no difference at all
- instead adverbA2in place of someone or something else
- quite adverbA2fairly, more than a little but not very
- also adverbA1in addition; as well
- how adverbA1used to ask about the way something is done or happens