acceptably

/ækˈsɛp.tə.bli/

//ækˈsɛp.tə.bli// adv

"acceptably" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acceptably” is uncommon English (frequency #73,840 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,840
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an acceptable manner; in a manner to please or give satisfaction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-acceptably · acceptably · English

acceptably · rank #73,840 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,840
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH absconding

Nearest frequency peer: absconding (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “acceptably”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “acceptably” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for acceptably
PropertyValue
Headwordacceptably
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ækˈsɛp.tə.bli/
Letters10
Frequency rank#73,840
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “acceptably” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “absconding” (#73,839), “affaire” (#73,844), “afrobeat” (#73,845). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “acceptably” is #73,840. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

acceptably is uncommon English at frequency #73,840 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ækˈsɛp.tə.bli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for acceptably in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English acceptably, equivalent to acceptable + -ly. The correct English form is acceptably, spelled A-C-C-E-P-T-A-B-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an acceptable manner; in a manner to please or give satisfaction.
  2. 2
    To an acceptable degree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how acceptably appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ellen Page gives a star-making performance as a 16-year-old live wire who decides to go through with her pregnancy and seeks acceptably well-adjusted, wealthy, punk-rock loving parents for the unborn baby.

Etymology

From Middle English acceptably, equivalent to acceptable + -ly.

This word in other languages

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 "acceptably"?
"acceptably" is spelled A-C-C-E-P-T-A-B-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ækˈsɛp.tə.bli/.
What does "acceptably" mean?
As an adverb, "acceptably" means: In an acceptable manner; in a manner to please or give satisfaction.
How do you pronounce "acceptably"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acceptably" is /ækˈsɛp.tə.bli/. 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 "acceptably"?
From Middle English acceptably, equivalent to acceptable + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "acceptably", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list