Totally vs Utterly

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Totally

Top 2,000 (common) B1 adverb

Utterly

Top 2,000 (common) C1 adverb

	Totally	Utterly
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ˈtəʊtəli/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈtəʊtəli/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/ˈʌtəli/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈʌtərli/"]/
Meaning	Completely or very much.	completely or very much
Example	I totally agree with your opinion on the matter.	We're so utterly different from each other.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 2,000 (common)	Top 2,000 (common)
CEFR level	B1	C1
Part of speech	adverb	adverb
Collocations	totally agree, totally awesome, totally different, totally in love	utterly amazed, utterly ridiculous, utterly defeated, utterly confused, utterly hopeless
Antonyms	partially, somewhat	partially, slightly
Common mistakes	'Totally' is sometimes confused with 'complete.', Learners may use 'totally' in formal situations when it sounds too casual., Sometimes misused to modify nouns directly.	Confused with 'totally' in overly casual contexts., Using 'utterly' for countable nouns, which is incorrect.
Usage notes	Use 'totally' to emphasize an absolute degree of something. It's neutral but can sound informal in some contexts. Avoid in very formal writing.	Use 'utterly' in both spoken and written English to emphasize the totality of an action or state. It is more intense than just saying 'very'. It may not be appropriate in casual conversation, where simpler terms are often preferred.

See it in real clips

The Pitt › S1 E1

If an artery is totally transected,

Breaking Bad › S1 E4

Okay, I'm totally joking with you.

Stranger Things › S1 E1

When Will sees this, he’s totally gonna blow his shit.

The Pitt › S1 E1

If an artery is totally transected,

Breaking Bad › S1 E4

Okay, I'm totally joking with you.

Totally

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

It was utterly dark in the abyss before my feet.

The Lord Of The Rings › The Fellowship Of The Ring

Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris.

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

It was utterly dark in the abyss before my feet.

The Lord Of The Rings › The Fellowship Of The Ring

Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris.

Utterly

Frequently asked questions: Totally vs Utterly

What's the difference between Totally and Utterly?

Totally: Completely or very much. Utterly: completely or very much

Which is more advanced: Totally and Utterly?

Utterly is the highest level, at C1, on the CEFR scale.

Are Totally and Utterly the same CEFR level?

Totally: B1, Utterly: C1 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are Totally and Utterly?

Totally: adverb, Utterly: adverb.

Can you show an example of each?

Totally: I totally agree with your opinion on the matter. Utterly: We're so utterly different from each other.

Can I use Totally and Utterly interchangeably?

Not always. Totally and Utterly are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.