Difference Between Finally and Final (With Table)

Finally and Final are two words of English grammar. The words mean the same but they are used in very different sentences as their meaning change according to the grammar, tenses, direct of speech, and types of voice. The composition of a sentence changes the use of these two words. It’s about the adverbs and adjectives in the sentence. The differences and meanings of the two words are mentioned below.

Finally vs Final

The main difference between Finally and Final is that finally is an adverb and final is an adjective. Both the words mean the same, however, their use in sentences differs in the formation of the sentence. Finally is used as an adverb and final as an adjective. That’s the only main difference, the meaning of the words doesn’t change. But it’s important to use the right word in the sentences according to the formation of the sentence.

Finally means end or last. In hindi it means “अंत में”. Finally is an adverb, a word that modifies the verb in a sentence. The word “finally” can represent an end of a series or events, or the end of a long time or to introduce a final point. For example, Thank God! I finally reached home, I am so tired.

Final means end, last, or conclusion. The meaning in Hindi is “अंतिम”. Final is an adjective. An adjective modifies the noun in the sentence. The word represents the end of anything, anytime, or anyplace. For Example, That is my Final Decision. Here, Final represents a decision that is already made and will not change.

Comparison Table Between Finally And Final

Parameters of Comparison

Finally

Final

Meaning

Finally, mean last or end.

Final also means last or end.

What Is It?

Finally is an adverb.

Final is an adjective.

Modifies

It modifies the verb in a sentence.

It modifies a noun in a sentence.

Used to

Used to represent a long time usually.

Used to represent the end.

Example

For example, ” He finally realized Ryan was serious.”

For Example, “This is my Final Decision.”

What is Finally?

Finally is an English word. The word means last or the end. The end or last can be of anything, a long time, a place, or it can be an expression as well. According to the sources, the definition of finally is “at the end of a period of time”.

Finally is an adverb, a word used to modify a verb in the sentence. It can modify another adverb, determiner, clause, preposition, or sentence as well.

Examples: A. 1. Three hours later, the bus finally arrived.

2. I’m so happy to finally meet you.

3. I finally reached home.

In this example, the end of the period of time is mentioned.

B. 1. Finally, I would like to thank my supporters…

2. Well, I finally settled for a musician as a career because…

This sentence shows the conclusion. The last point is shown by the word.

C. 1. After many attempts, they finally gave up.

2. Finally, the last season is here.

A final attempt as a final event, the last occurrence is shown.

D. 1. The only thing that matters is that you are finally healthy and fit again.

2. Finally, my prayers have been heard.

Here the word shows an ultimate possibility, an expression.

What is Final?

Final is an English word that means the end. It means “अंतिम” in Hindi. It can be the end of anything like a series of events, a tv series, examinations, a degree course, etc.
Finally is an adjective. An adjective describes the qualities of being of nouns, it modifies a noun or the noun phrase. It can also describe the quantity of the noun.

Examples: 1. Is this your final decision?

2. This is the final act of the show.

3. I am in the final year of the B.tech Course in Mechanical.

4. Have you seen the final episode of this series?

5. You forgot to mention the final point in the essay.

6. This was my final attempt at UPSC, I hope I’ll pass.

7. I reached the final level of this game.

8. These were her final words.

9. What is the final count on the items in the back?

10. Okay!! So I have one final question for you.

In these sentences, the word Final represents an end, a last point of time, or of manner. It can represent the end of anything and can give the answers to what, when, where to, how, etc.

Main Differences Between Finally And Final

  1. Finally and Final, both are words used in the language English. The difference in them is not of meaning but sentence formation. Finally is an adverb while final is an adjective.
  2. Finally is used to show the end, to introduce the last point. The word Final is used to represent an ending of something.
  3. Finally is used as a block, while final is used as a keyword.
  4. Finally is used to modify a verb in the sentence while Final is used to modify a noun or a noun phrase.
  5. The example of Finally, ” He finally realized Ryan was serious.”. The example for final, “This is my final decision, that’s it.”

Conclusion

Finally and final are two different words. Though, they mean the same i.e last, the end. Both the words represent an end. That end can be of a time, of place or it can express a manner or emotion as well. Their composition changes in the sentence as Finally is an adverb and final is an adjective.

One should see the examples of the two words to see how they are used differently in the English sentences to represent an end. Both the words have the same synonyms like last, end, conclusion, termination, etc. The word used is according to the sentence, by how the sentence is composed and what it requires, an adverb or adjective.

References

  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-linguistics/article/homophony-and-morphology-the-acoustics-of-wordfinal-s-in-english-1/E37B68456772DFC329EAD8936C063D9E