already

Name: already, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɔːlˈɹɛdi/

//ɔːlˈɹɛdi// adv

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“already” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #253. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#253
frequency rank, English: 3,931
“A” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.

Corpus desk

Index EN-already · already · English

already · rank #253 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-CORE #253
LEN-LONG 7 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-MID 10 variants
BOOK-MID 3,931
PHOTO-FINISH anything

Nearest frequency peer: anything (+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.

times

99,751
week

99,750
already

99,748
anything

99,747
case

99,746
nothing

99,745

What this shows Bars show where “already” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Key facts for already
Property	Value
Headword	already
Language	English
Part of speech	Adverb
IPA	/ɔːlˈɹɛdi/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#253
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “already” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).already lands here:

#253

#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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around already (IPA /ɔːlˈɹɛdi/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #253 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for already, with forms such as "alerady", "allready", and "alraedy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English alredy (“fully; already”), equivalent to al- (“all, completely”) + ready. Cognate with West Frisian alreeds (“already”), Dutch alreeds (“already”), Afrikaans alreeds (“already”), Middle Low German alreide, alreids ("already"; whence mode… The correct English form is already, spelled A-L-R-E-A-D-Y.

Definition

1
Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
2
So soon.
3
An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.
4
Indicates the completion of an action (whether past or hypothetical), or more generally, perfective aspect.
5
Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

I was surprised that she hadn’t already told me the news.
Much of what he said I knew already.

Etymology

From Middle English alredy (“fully; already”), equivalent to al- (“all, completely”) + ready. Cognate with West Frisian alreeds (“already”), Dutch alreeds (“already”), Afrikaans alreeds (“already”), Middle Low German alreide, alreids ("already"; whence modern German Low German alreeds (“already”)), Danish allerede (“already”), Swedish allaredan (“already”), Norwegian Nynorsk allereie (“already”). More at all, ready. The use as an intensifier in American English is a semantic loan from Yiddish שוין (shoyn), attested from 1903. In Singapore English, the use of already as a marker of action completion and change of state is analogous to Hokkien 了 (liáu), Teochew 了 (liao²) and Mandarin 了 (le). Compare Malay (su)dah and Cantonese 咗 (zo²), 喇 (laa³).

This word in other languages

ya(Español)déjà(Français)bereits(Deutsch)já(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

alerady
allready
alraedy
alreaddy
alreadyy
alreayd
alreday
alrready
arleady
laready

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of already - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "already"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "already"?

"already" is spelled A-L-R-E-A-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːlˈɹɛdi/.

What does "already" mean?

As an adverb, "already" means: Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.

What are common misspellings of "already"?

Common misspellings include "alerady", "allready", "alraedy", "alreaddy", "alreadyy". The correct spelling is "already".

How do you pronounce "already"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "already" is /ɔːlˈɹɛdi/. 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 "already"?

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 "already", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nothing#256 looking#242 there's#267 getting#238

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

system10 variants business10 variants however10 variants doesn't10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "already". Here's where to go from here.

10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
Usage frequency rank #253 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.