abysmally

/əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/

//əˈbɪz.ml̩.i// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"abysmally" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abysmally” is an uncommon English word, ranked #84,951 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#84,951
frequency rank, English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Very; incredibly; profoundly; to an extreme degree; dreadfully.

Key facts for abysmally
PropertyValue
Headwordabysmally
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/
Letters9
Frequency rank#84,951
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abysmally” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). abysmally lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for abysmally is 9 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #84,951 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Very; incredibly; profoundly; to an extreme degree; dreadfully.".

No misspelling variants are generated for abysmally in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From abysmal + -ly. The correct English form is abysmally, spelled A-B-Y-S-M-A-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Very; incredibly; profoundly; to an extreme degree; dreadfully.

Etymology

From abysmal + -ly.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abysmally"?
"abysmally" is spelled A-B-Y-S-M-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/.
What does "abysmally" mean?
As an adverb, "abysmally" means: Very; incredibly; profoundly; to an extreme degree; dreadfully.
How do you pronounce "abysmally"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abysmally" is /əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abysmally"?
From abysmal + -ly. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “abysmally”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-Y-S-M-A-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈbɪz.ml̩.i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list