affirmatively

adv

"affirmatively" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“affirmatively” is an uncommon English word, ranked #64,164 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#64,164
frequency rank, English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In an affirming manner.

Key facts for affirmatively
PropertyValue
Headwordaffirmatively
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
Letters13
Frequency rank#64,164
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “affirmatively” 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). affirmatively 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 affirmatively is 13 letters long, classified as an adverb. Corpus data places it at rank #64,164 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "In an affirming manner.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for affirmatively, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English affirmativeli, equivalent to affirmative + -ly. The correct English form is affirmatively, spelled A-F-F-I-R-M-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an affirming manner.

Etymology

From Middle English affirmativeli, equivalent to affirmative + -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 "affirmatively"?
"affirmatively" is spelled A-F-F-I-R-M-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.
What does "affirmatively" mean?
As an adverb, "affirmatively" means: In an affirming manner.
What is the origin of the word "affirmatively"?
From Middle English affirmativeli, equivalent to affirmative + -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 “affirmatively”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-F-F-I-R-M-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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