ably
/ˈeɪ.bli/adverb
ably is spelled A-B-L-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, ably means “In an able manner; with great ability” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ably?
| Letters | 4: A-B-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ably?
Ably appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ably?
- US /ˈeɪ.bli/
- US /ˈeɪ.bə.li/
Ably has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ably.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl--ably.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ably?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ably (/eɪbli/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: blay.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ably
- more ably comparative
- most ably superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ably mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In an able manner; with great ability.
ably done, handled, planned, said
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ably in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense with great ability:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | habilement |
| German | fähig |
| Portuguese | habilmente |
| Spanish | hábilmente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ably come from?
From Middle English abeliche, abelyche, abilliche, abliche; equivalent to able + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).